That would be a contrast to the US where some of us avoid the stores
around this time to avoid the madhouse. Since my family doesn't do the
gift thang anymore there is no last minute gift shopping but I do have
to go out and get some stuff for the smokey egg dip.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/business/ci_24776977/shoppers-pour-into-malls-last-minute-christmas-rush
I was in India for Christmas 1996 and thought it might be a quiet one
but Indians love any excuse for a party and it was being celebrated
there too.
On 12/23/2013 06:34 AM, TurquoiseB wrote:
--- In [email protected], "Richard J. Williams" wrote:
>
> Have a very merry Christmas, Barry!
*/You, too, Richard. Truth be told, I have fewer issues with the
holiday than I do with the cult that invented it. I like the lights,
the colors, the decorations, and the feeling of giving that sneaks
through the cracks no matter how degraded and commercial the holiday
gets.
Christmastime is a little less commercial here in the Netherlands,
BTW. Possibly it's because the Dutch are frugal, with a capital Cheap,
and thus don't shop as much, period. But they certainly don't seem to
go as crazy as Americans when it comes to "Christmas shopping." The
very *concept* of a "Black Friday" would cause them to laugh.
The lines in stores -- even TOY stores -- are short and well-behaved,
and many of the merchants get into the spirit of giving (as a kind of
tax-writeoff loss leader, of course) by giving away free coffee, tea,
pastries, treats, and other goodies to shoppers. I could walk the
length of our main shopping drag Haarlemerstraat today, sample each
store's freebies, and come away feeling as full as if I'd eaten a full
meal.
And, whether its forced or artificial or merely the result of
media/culture subliminal suggestions, most people ARE more friendly
this time of year IMO. If you'd like to attribute all that to Baby
Jesus, I don't have any problem with that. Me, I tend to attribute it
to a yearly holiday that pretty much everyone looks forward to because
it's a holiday, dummy. It's an excuse to celebrate, and be with
friends and family. What's not to like about that?
BTW, as one of the only comments I'll make to some of the incredibly
bigoted and Islamophobic shit being posted here recently (clearly by
those who have never lived in largely Islamic neighborhoods surrounded
by Islamic people), some of the best and most bountiful free feasts
along Haarlemerstraat are in the shops owned by Muslims. They get off
on the holiday period, too.
I suspect one could even be a meth dealer and like Christmas... :-)
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