I can say that I've done a fair bit of Christmas shopping this season. And I'm disappointed. Throughout the stores, on the storefronts, in the store windows, there just isn't much Christmas cheer. Sure, there are some glittery sparkles and greetings of "Happy Holidays" every now and again, but overall, just not much Christmas spirit is decking the halls of the retail stores.
It's not just me. In a recent report by Brandweek, consumers are noting the lack of Christmas decorations and are actually electing to take their business elsewhere, to those stores that do decorate for Christmas. The report didn't say why stores were decorating less this year, but I would guess it has to do with costs and politics. Funny thing is, when stores try to cut costs and try to become politically neutral, it may actually spell disaster.
It's Christmas. This is the season when Christians celebrate the birth of Christ. This is a big deal in the Christian religion, commercial or not. It's one of the biggest holidays of the Christian year. This time of year is also Hannakah, but Hannakah isn't a gift-giving season. It's not even a big Jewish holiday - it was just made that way because of the commercialization of Christmas. Even my Jewish friends get offended about the greeting "Happy Holidays". They feel that it's condescending because they recognize this as Christian feast, and that's fine with them. They don't need someone to pat them on the shoulder and make them feel included.
It's decent to be politically correct and we need to respect all peoples and all religions. But that doesn't mean that, to do so, we gloss over the important feasts of other religions. It's not just me - it's also consumers that are saying this now. Keep Christmas away, and the shoppers will stay away, too. So let's celebrate - commercialization and all - what this season is truly about.
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