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| Christmas on State Street ... |
Because
as much as I’m sure some people are going to respond to me by saying it was a
chance to spend time with family while enjoying an elegant, overly-fancy meal
together, I can’t help but sense that some people thought of it as merely the
food they ate to give them sustenance before they went shopping.
YES,
I REALLY believe that the Thanksgiving holiday is at risk of being overtaken by
all the holiday shopping gimmicks meant to get people into the stores so that
they will spend more money than they had planned to.
I
don’t mean to be a downer. But I was always the reporter-type person whose
least favorite work day was the day after Thanksgiving.
I
have many memories of people engaging in ridiculous behavior because they
thought the day after Thanksgiving was when they were supposed to go shopping
for all those Christmas-related presents. Interviewing the guy who was selling
velvet paintings of Elvis Presley from a van parked along Wabash Avenue near
Randolph Street is probably the most garish.
But
my point being I never comprehended the people who felt the need to rush into
the holiday shopping mess. It makes the process of picking out gifts all the
more hectic. Why turn it into a hassle?
FRIDAY
WAS ALWAYS the day I went out of my way to avoid anything resembling a shopping
mall or other place where retail was being performed. A part of me will even be
reluctant to set foot in a supermarket on that day.
But
now, with the trend of stores opening up on Thursday, it seems that I have a
pair of days in which I will need to be careful – less I get sucked into the
madness of crowds of people who don’t really have a clue what they want, but
are looking to pick out things that will make them appear not to be cheap.
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| ... has a certain character, regardless of when ... |
Even
though, in reality, they’re probably counting every penny they have (and some
they really don’t have) all so they can be tightwads without looking the part.
It’s
not so much that I don’t like crowds. I just don’t care for the vibe that comes
from these people who feel that holiday shopping is a mission.
IT
MAKES THEM all too susceptible to the deals that aren’t all that special. It is
a scene I’d just as soon avoid. Even if that makes it seem as though I’m
spouting a “Bah, Humbug!” or two.
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| ... it occurs. Photos by Chuckman Chicago Nostalgia |
In
fact, if there’s anything about this particular holiday season that catches my
attention, it’s the fact that Hanukkah is coming earlier than usual this year –
and won’t coincide with Thanksgiving again for another 77,000 years or so.
Friday
will be the third night (out of eight) of that Jewish holiday, and it is going
to be long complete by the time the Christmas madness gets underway.
In
my case, my step-mother is Jewish, and our Thanksgiving meal Thursday included
a lighting of the candles at sundown that mark each day of the holiday. For
some people, the concept of “Thanksgivikkah” was the reality.
ALTHOUGH
FOR US, we’ve actually had enough family conflicts in schedules that the
decision was made to postpone Hanukkah until mid-December.
So
I have a couple of weeks to fret over finding the perfect presents for my
Jewish nephews and nieces. Whom I care for too much to snub outright.
Which
means I’ll have to wind up plunging myself into the retail madness of this
holiday season.
My
warning to you now; get out of my way, unless you want my elbow in your ribs!!!
-30-
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