Just Call Me Scrooge

Today was one of those rare days when Dan and I manage to completely throw off our concept of time by sleeping late, taking naps, sitting around in our pajamas, and eating at odd hours. By about 2 in the afternoon, as we sat in the livingroom, me in the armchair with Felicity and Dan lying on the couch with Ariel, I complained that I wanted coffee, but that we were all out. Since we needed other things anyway, I pulled my slightly greasy hair back, put on some yoga pants and a shirt, and headed off to Fred Meyer.

What greeted me was horrifying.

All I can say is, thank goodness that I reviewed my shopping list before I left, because I forgot to bring it in, and it would have been a tragedy to have to make a second trip. The lines were a mile long - the front of the store a nearly impenetrable sea of shopping carts, each fully loaded. Positioning myself behind one of these loaded carts with my few bags worth of groceries, I saw the reason for all this hysteria.That's right: spend $100, get a free turkey. Next to the woman's purse and copy of the ad sat her turkey, and her cart was filled not only with food but also with things like toothpaste. She was determined to have that turkey for free. As I looked out over all the ridiculously full carts, it suddenly made so much sense. Not only was this Thanksgiving week, this was FREE TURKEY WEEK. And poor, innocent Jenni - here for coffee, diapers, steak, and potatoes - was just a helpless victim.

Needless to say, I turned right back around and grabbed some celery. No way is this mama going back in that store this week!

I found myself feeling very annoyed at the Fred Meyer advertising department. Isn't Thanksgiving week crowded enough without free turkeys? Why are they trying to make my life harder?

This reminded me of how I felt when I went to browse Freddy's for some Alone Time last week (Hey, alone is great wherever I am! And I will celebrate it with big purple letters!).

I walked into the store through the back door and peered down the rows of seasonal items. Christmas towels, Christmas oven mitts, Christmas light-up Santas, Christmas serving platters...

And how did I feel?

Sad for the earth.

Yes, my ecological concerns have trumped my Christmas spirit. All I could think about was that all those things were made out of precious resources, and that they would probably get very little use before ending their existences in landfills. Meanwhile, sheep-like consumers would be convinced via advertising that they "needed" these items, or at least that the items would make them happier. And, at best, they would only be used for a month or two a year, before being packed away in a box for the next holiday season. And being packed away in a box is essentially the same as being wasted, because during that time they are serving no purpose and simply taking up space.

This is weird, because I have simply REVELED in Christmas the past few years. By this point, I should have dragged out the decorations and plotted our breakfast for Christmas morning. I should have purchased and wrapped gifts for everyone on my list. What's happening here?

I'm sure that the best attitude to have is somewhere BETWEEN this year's and last year's. In the meantime, pardon my less-than-jolly attitude. I'm not feeling negative about Christmas ITSELF, just the surrounding consumer-minded hoopla. And, really, that's not what Christmas is about.

Although, come to think of it, Thanksgiving IS about free turkeys, kind of...