Watching the herds trample each other (and even pull guns) in Black Friday shopping hysteria to get toys and other gifts gives me pause for thought. What is wrong with this picture?
- Grownups acting like out-of-control bad kids!
Understand, I LIKE Christmas and the holiday season. I really do. But Christmas is for kids.
- Young kids cannot shop for themselves. It's fun to 'give' them surprise gifts, it's fun for them to 'get' these presents.
Other than shopping for your kids presents, grownups priorities have to also include replacing their kids shoes, paying-down debt, saving for a rainy day, food on the table, etc.
- What kids are learning from this Black Friday mob behavior are 'values' ....and the values on display right now aren't exactly the ones we should want them to have in future or things will get uglier than this (and more often than just on Black Friday).
Festive gift-giving among the family is great, and I'm not at all in favor of stopping the 'fun' of the season...it's just just the ever-growing 'creep' of gifts beyond the family to teachers, colleagues, and ever more that cloys...
- To me it seems almost a zero-sum endeavor (and a painful one at that). You spend x$ to give person a. something, person a. spends x$ to give you something...maybe both borrowing money to do it. What is gained? (This is only one reason economics is called the grim science btw.)
I like the idea of putting the 'spirit' of the season back into the season instead.
- Being more appreciative, thoughtful and considerate all year is a gift in and of itself (if you actually do it).
- And maybe the REAL gift is releasing others from the 'obligation' of having to buy you a present?
Christmas is for kids.
- Grownups need to stop behaving like nasty, spoiled kids.
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