11.28.06
Christmas “Wrap”
It’s that time of year again when everyone goes nuts, stressing out, driving aggressively, going into debt and forgetting what the season should really be about. Every year I notice decorations going up earlier and the crazy rush of traffic getting earlier as well. A friend of mine told me about returning to New York from New Jersey at 2 am on “Black Friday” and getting stuck in a huge traffic jam at the first tollbooth on the Thruway, just over the New York border. Apparently, there is a big mall there. People were backed up for miles trying to be one of the first in line for the big bargains. It really amazes me that this is what American culture has become. A few years ago I wrote this poem. I guess it’s time to post it up here. The end of it is sung to the very end of the tune “Twelve days of Christmas.” Hope you enjoy it. I do!
Xmas Wrap © Deb Cavanaugh
Twas 2 months before Christmas and all through the stores
nothing was moving. We had to sell more.
We’d tried all the gimmicks save one that can’t fail -
our annual pre-Halloween Christmas sale.
The stock market was hung in the balance with care
in hopes that great profit soon would be there.
Displays were all lit and then rearranged.
The mood of the store had been drastically changed.
All through the wee hours, anticipation mounted.
Maybe the sleds should have been discounted.
But the lines had all formed. People jammed at the door.
One minute to go til we open the store.
And we heard the boss say as he turned on the light,
“Merry Christmas to all, and we hope the price is right.”
At the end of the day, as employees departed,
we had all of this, and we’d only just started.
12 fainting ladies - 11 heart attacks - 10 cashiers quitting
9 broken TVs - 8 stolen purses - 7 crying babies - 6 mothers screaming
5 - bouncing checks
4 accidents - 3 lost kids - 2 shoplifters
and a Santa bouncing children on his knee.
Happy Holidays, whatever holiday you celebrate and whenever you celebrate it. We all celebrate at different times during the next few months. Please slow down and notice the people around you and the beauty in the world. We only live once, our children grow up in the blink of an eye, and it’s a shame to look back on our lives with regret. Please stay tuned - I will be writing about our Solstice celebrations soon. We start on Friday, Dec. 1st with our daily candle lighting. When I left my ex-husband, I decided I didn’t want to battle over who would be with our kids during Christmas. I always hated the commercialism anyway, so I decided to celebrate the Winter Solstice. I invented a wonderful ritual which includes “snow fairies” instead of Santa. More to come…