Christmas 365 Days A Year

EARLY HOLIDAY ADVERTISEMENTS PROMPT THOUGHTS ABOUT ECONOMIC IMPACT

By Leeanna Walker

Posted: November 9, 2009 at 5:51 a.m.

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ROGERS — The leaves on the lawn were no longer a carpet of orange — they were more of a crunchy brown.

And kitten Jinx was untying the ribbon on the Halloween door decoration.

This led me to decide it was time to put the Thanksgiving door decoration up.

But wait. Spread on my lap were a bunch of newspaper advertisements, many with a Christmas bent. What do I do? Hang the turkey or skip right to Santa Claus?

Don’t get me wrong — I am tickled pink that we have advertisements, Christmas or not. You may have heard things are tough in the newspaper business so all advertising is appreciated.

Still, I just hate that Christmas has become a pre-Halloween event. Right now, all I want for Christmas is to escape to a warmer climate where they serve adult beverages with umbrellas.

I doubt that will happen.

As I watched Jinx I made a vow to myself: “I will not shop for Christmas presents until after Thanksgiving.” Then I realized I had already broken that pledge having bought a couple of items on recent road trips. And if I am going to make anything, I need to get started.

Then, as I watched Jinx begin to chew on the ribbon, I was stricken with a feeling that my thoughts were somehow un-American: if I delay Christmas shopping as my own personal protest will the economy continue to spiral downward?

That’s the last thing I want to do — and I darn sure don’t want to give all the “experts” fodder for dire predictions of doom and gloom on Black Friday. Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving when “they” say retailers know if they are going to make it or break it during the Christmas shopping season.

I was dithering over my dilemma when Amy called and in passing mentioned that Kathy had said at Sunday school that she was going home to wrap Christmas presents. This, for no real reason, threw me in a tiz. Why in the world would Kathy — who hasn’t even put up a tree but maybe once in the last five years — wrap presents on the first of November?

As it turned out, she didn’t get the wrapping done which probably saved her from hearing about my new pet peeve.

Amy commented that she thought she might just make a donation to the Humane Society and tell family and friends that was their Christmas gift.

I lauded her idea and said I thought a group of my friends were going to get notes that said I had made chemo caps and donated them in their names.

Still, I have the niggly feeling that all the good deeds in the world might be deemed as not helping the economy.

In the final analysis, however, I think you have to say helping people — or pets — in need is helping America.

And that is what the Christmas spirit should be about 365 days a year.

Leeanna Walker is the local editor of the Rogers Morning News.

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