Happy Holidays to the Human Race

Welcome to the holiday season. Every year millions of people swamp malls, outlet stores, shopping centers of every kind and the internet in search of the perfect gifts for everyone on their Christmas lists. We’re bombarded by ads for every product under the sun from perfume to electric shavers to chia pets that try to convince us that this is the answer to our gift-giving dilemma. We’re all guilty of purchasing something in

desperation just to have a gift for someone no matter how crappy or useless it may be. We all get sucked into the insanity of the season. Christmas has lost its value.

Economics, as they are this year, will no doubt impact a majority of major retailers as well as consumers themselves. People will be shopping very carefully this year to get the most bang for their buck. The winners will be the companies or stores that cater to this need and the people who recognize that great bargain before it sells out. The losers this year will most likely be those that rely on the charity and good will of others to get through the holiday season in one way or another. Our pocketbooks will only be able to afford so much charity and good will this year beyond our own families and friends, after all.

I was raised in a family where the mantra of it’s better to give than receive wasn’t just something that was said but was common practice. It was a family that took in the strays for holiday meals. Anyone who didn’t have someone to spend the holidays with was invited to share in the spirit of the season with our family. Over the years we played host to a number of people from relatives with little to no extended family to co-workers to

neighbors. I remember how amazing it was to realize if it wasn’t for our invitation these people would have, in all probability, spent the day alone eating a TV dinner in front of the television feeling alone and forgotten by the world. What kind of people would we be if that was allowed to happen ?

Unfortunately, this year thousands of people will be left to feel that way. If we really took the time to step back, take a few minutes and examine our individual lives we would see how blessed we truly are. Most of us have a roof over our heads, food on our tables for every meal and friends and family that share in moments of happiness or help us through times of distress. Most of us probably have the benefit of a health insurance plan that allows us and our families to remain in good health year after year and the security of knowing if that ever changes resources are available to heal us. All of us have had the benefits of an education whether private or public to enrich our minds and give us a better perspective of the world we live in. Most of us also have some kind of employment, which guarantees that we have the means to ensure we can acquire what we need and pays for the little extras we don’t necessarily need. Most of us are blessed in countless ways every day that we take for granted.