Holiday Catch-Phrases

It is that time of the year to "put one foot in front of the other," and search for those last minute gifts.  Venturing into the mall is not for the faint of heart.  The champion shoppers, during this festive time of the year, are those who clearly love the thrill of the hunt and do their best shopping as the clock ticks down.  We have learned how to weave through crowded parking lots without hitting other cars or pedestrians.  We have made many new friends while waiting in the long lines and/or beaten a new level in Candy Crush.

Even though the title is "Holiday Catch-Phrases," this message is not for the planners who finished shopping months ago.  You could not handle shopping right now.  The long lines would make you demand a register open up just for you. You would complain loudly - "Bah! Humbug!" The lack of parking spaces would force you to pound on your steering wheel yelling "I'm gonna deck your halls bub!"  Stressing out and yelling  may make you feel better for a second, but "Christmas isn't just a day, it's a frame of mind..."  I know you believe "Maybe Christmas...doesn't come from a store.  Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more."  We procrastinators believe that too...however, we enjoy the adrenaline rush.

Even though advertisers and media want us to spend, SpEnD, SPEND (which we do), they remind us of the importance of people.  We understand their sentimental or silly scenes are a cover for their subliminal "buy" message, and we are not fooled.  As long as we score the sought after gift at a discount, we are thrilled. 

My heart still leaps a little seeing the mall Santa.  Wishing, dreaming, he might be the 'real Santa'.  I have to suppress the desire to yell "Santa!  I know him." The thing I would ask from Santa would not require him to tell me "You'll shoot your eye out, kid."  Yet, I would not ask for world peace or anything as selfless either.  I would ask for no debt.  On one day - one magical day - all of my debt would disappear.  Student loans, mortgages, credit cards, and medical bills would just...be...gone.  I would love this for me.   My selfless act would be to wish it for you too.  I know that we could possibly get into a hole again before the next Christmas rolls around.  But...this year we could run through the streets yelling "Merry Christmas, movie house! Merry Christmas, Emporium! Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building and Loan!" 

The spirit of Christmas is alive and well in all of the long lines, crowded streets, children's laughter, and an old man's cane echoing through a lonely house.  "Seeing isn't believing. Believing is seeing."  During this time of the year, no matter your circumstances, dream like a child who believes in Santa Clause. 

"At one time most of my friends could hear the bell. But as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found, one Christmas, that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me... as it does for all who truly believe."

"And God bless us, everyone."



 Thanks to these great movies:
- Frosty the Snowman
- A Christmas Carol
- Jingle all the Way
- Miracle on 34th Street  
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas
- Elf
- A Christmas Story
- It's a Wonderful Life
- The Santa Clause
- Polar Express
- A Christmas Carol