All Hail Santa

It’s that time of year again, when the merriment of the holiday season brings peace and joy to people all over the world; when children delight in wondering just what Santa will bring them this year; and people unite in a harmonious effort to spread a little love to those around them. It’s Christmas time, y’all! It will be here sooner than you think. In fact, it is tomorrow! Yeah! What? It isn’t tomorrow? Well, according to the decorations and things for sale at Wal Mart, Walgreen’s, K Mart, The Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and the wondrous Hamilton Place Mall, it should be tomorrow. I mean, they have been setting up and selling Christmas items since before Halloween. I half expected a role reversal from A Nightmare Before Christmas to occur…Santa taking over Jack Skellington’s role of King of Halloween. Sheesh. Oh, and save a space at the Thanksgiving table for one more; a fat guy in a red and white suit. Better hope you have enough cookies and milk on the table…

I mean come on. I love Christmas. I really do. But the way I see it…it is getting ridiculous. The first time I walked into Wal Mart and actually heard Christmas music playing was when I was going in looking at Halloween decorations. What?!? I felt something inside of me snap. I almost couldn’t hold back an almost angry sense of disgust. I can understand the department stores wanting to jump the gun on the competition. If someone is ready to buy their giant inflatable snow globes with a manger scene and Santa flying in the background before anyone else does, they are going to buy it at the place that has it for sale first. But it still racks my nerves.

And speaking of firsts, I saw a first just the other day. I’ve seen Halloween yard decorations, Christmas yard decorations, Easter decorations, etc. but have never seen official Thanksgiving yard decorations until this year. Planted in the front yard of a house was a giant blow-up turkey. Yep, a turkey with a light shining on it like it was a gift from heaven. Heaven help me…

Has it always been like this? I don’t seem to remember the holiday shopping season coming at us full force so early years ago like it is now. Maybe it’s because I just can’t remember. I really can’t. From what I can remember, the day after Thanksgiving has always been the start of the Christmas shopping spree. On your marks! Get set! Shop! That is fine with me. But the pushing back of the bombardment of holiday songs, set-ups, decorations, sales, etc. is driving me absolutely nuts. Don’t tell me I’m the only one who feels this. You know you’re thinking the same thing.

Well, since it is full-front and out in my face, might as well get started. This Christmas looks pretty bleak, as far as the “get the kids what they want to please them” aspect goes. I won’t be one of those out there pushing and shoving to get the newest crazy fad toy. I won’t be a part of the madness of bumper to bumper traffic, tempers flaring, middle fingers flying, car horns blaring. I hope not to be, at least. What I can afford to get I will probably get in a single trip. There won’t be as much disposable income over this way for any of that other crazy crap. Reminds me of a lyric from a song by Everclear called I Will Buy You a New Life… “I hate those people who try to tell you money is the root of all that kills, they have never been poor, they have never had the joy of a welfare Christmas…” Not that there is anything wrong with that, mind you. When I was a kid, Christmas was the only time we got anything special, not including birthdays. I remember waking up on Christmas day to several presents placed at the foot of my bed (the 2-foot tall shiny aluminum Christmas tree just wouldn’t hold presents for 5 kids under it). In our stockings were oranges, candy, nuts, and small toys. The presents were mostly things we needed, like socks or a new belt. Sure there were toys, but not expensive ones. A Tonka toy truck with a GI Joe driver, an AM radio that you powered by inserting probes into a potato or orange (pretty neat, that one!). Sure, disappointments happened, but that was and is life.

I do believe that my kids understand. My daughter really shows her maturity in that matter. She knows the deal. My son, well, he is getting there, but has a long way to go. I want them to have a good Christmas, I really do. I want them to have some things that they want. I remember what it was like to really want something under that tree. Even today, I want things too. But I also want them to understand that getting what they need trumps getting what they want. You know, the difference between today and way-back when is that then, I had no clue about being poor. I was just a kid. I was rich. I had everything I needed given to me. I didn’t have to work to pay for things that were truly needed. I didn’t know where things came from; I just knew that hey, new shoes were on my feet, clothes without holes were in my dresser, plates of food were put in front of me at mealtimes. I had no clue that Grandma didn’t get her money from a job. I did know that we sold oranges from the grove and eggs from the henhouse, but I was clueless that the money from that surely wasn’t supporting five kids and sending them to private school as well. I had no clue that we were “this close” to poverty. Today…being a grown up (yes, I am a grown up, believe it or not) lets you in on the secrets unknown to children. Money isn’t free. There isn’t a tree in the back yard that sprouts twenties and fifties. It takes hours of work to get that action figure to play with. And even more hours of work to keep the electricity and water from being cut off and a roof with four walls to protect you from the elements.

I started off on a rant here, didn’t I? Let me get back to it...well, sort of. I made someone at Wal Mart laugh the other day. I had just paid for my things and was picking up my sacks of groceries to carry out. The checkout dude told me thanks and to “come again”. I had been hearing Christmas songs while shopping and actually had “Silver Bells” ringing in my head. My eyes were still blinded by the glittery tinsel and ornaments in the newly stocked Holiday section (which, up until a few weeks ago was the outdoor section). Still in a Jolly haze, and transformed into an elf for the time being, I blurted out, “Merry Christmas!” He looked at me like I was crazy, and then understood. He shook his head and laughed, then said, “Yeah, I know.”

Let the holidays come. Let them come in their own time. I see no need to rush them in. They will come soon enough, with sleigh bells ringing, age-old specials on TV, cakes of fruit, nogs of egg, and shiny noses leading the way through fog as “thick as pea soup”…or even as thick as “jelly brains”. Bring it on, Santa. Just give me a minute though…