So Christmas is approaching and the season is in full swing, albeit differently with the pandemic. What has really changed also, is the real meaning of Christmas, at least for some, if not most people. There is so much emphasis placed on the commercial side, that many merchants try to lengthen the season by starting it oh so early. It starts earlier every year. Back in the day we’d have to wait until at least late November to early December before there were any hints of Christmas. Now by August some stores are putting out teasers for sales. I even heard a commercial advertising Christmas in July sale. No wonder Christmas seems to come around so quickly, it’s because some people won’t allow it to go away and take a rest.
It’s also the time when many men go missing in action and there is a surfeit of de facto Christmas widows. Yes indeed, many guys mysteriously disappear at this time, only to reemerge in the new year. Women who are involved with married men suffer at this time, for the man has to spend time with his family.
Waxing a little nostalgic, I remember that back in my youth, Christmas was so much about looking out for the children, and of course with a great emphasis on family. That still occurs in certain quarters, but in the main, it’s all about spending. Shakespeare did say, “There is money, spend it, spend it, spend more.” Ironically that was from The Merry Wives of Windsor. He also wrote, “I can get no remedy against this consumption of the purse…the disease is incurable.” That was from Henry IV.
As usual, some merchants will admit that the season did them well, while others will complain that, “It’s a slow season, sales aren’t moving and nothing is happening.”
The stores offer so many fancy deals, including no deposit down and seven years to pay off the balance. By the time you finish paying for the item, it’s old, outdated and ready to throw out. But the sales pitch is enticing.
So who spends more at Christmas, men or women? Most men say that women cannot be beaten in that department, as they not only spend more, but want more, demand more and expect more. You’d be surprised at what some women expect from men who they hardly know or just met. No wonder some guys head for the hills to escape those high expectations.
They also say that women always want to change up the house and buy new furniture….all because it’s Christmas, whereas most men couldn’t give a hoot about new furniture. “Why buy a new couch Honey, what’s wrong with the one that we have now?” As for the bed, if some men had their way, they’d still be sleeping on an old time foam mattress.
Women have to spruce up the house, apply a coat of paint here and there, buy two dozen more cushions, get ten new comforters for the bed, and change the entire living room furniture. That’s their joy. In contrast just look at the faces of the men who go shopping with their wives at Christmas, and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. The women are in heaven, while the men have that sullen look of, “What the heck am I doing here…how will all this be paid for…I want to go home.”
Food is everywhere, and all who planned to go on a diet had better put it off until the new year, for eating is the favourite pastime this season.
Christmas is my favourite time of year and I really do enjoy this season. I love the way people treat others, I love the family and friends interaction, I love the overall atmosphere of friendship and caring. Even in this time of Covid, we can still enjoy the silliest season.
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