We, probably like many, are not doing Christmas this year. We will acknowledge and celebrate the birth of Christ, but that is about all we will do.
Oh, we will wish those we see a Merry Christmas, and send Merry Christmas Emails, but we will do that out of habit more than anything. It is easier to acknowledge a "greeting" and return it, than to pursue the subject any farther, and no one wants to hear it anyway.
For one thing, our children are spread far and wide, and a lot of Christmas revolves around children. We have a new great-granddaughter, Miss Brooklyn as she is called, not quite a year old, so a train set probably wouldn't go over too well.
And, it takes all of our income to just stay "afloat." The Government, in their infinite wisdom has seen fit to not increase our SS for the last two years, while our rent and utilities have all gone up, so, it now takes more than we take in to just stay even. We are probably better off than many are.
Some really sad stories are related on the TV about the homeless, many are families, many jobless also.
My wife is still doing some "demos" at Walmart, (for many years she took telephone orders for Harry and David, but they "outsourced" all of that, so no holiday jobs for a lot of people in the area) and I put on her VENDOR badge and go in the "back" of the store to get her demo table and equipment. The loading docs and product comes in that way. You could not imagine in your wildest dreams the amount of product that comes in that back end and goes up front to the store.
I cannot conceive how so much is manufactured,, packaged, bottled and shipped to just this one store, and it is repeated world-wide, and of course to other stores. It staggers the imagination.
Walmart is having a good Christmas. We have both noticed a giant increase in the "class" of clientele in Walmart. Many more "suits" and "dresses" than there used to be. I am amused at some I recognize from Granville (an upscale affluent nearby community) and some locals from the "better" part of town. They just kinda keep their heads down and hurriedly shop, afraid they might be seen at Walmart. But, they have learned they save a few bucks there.
This year we will celebrate with memories of past Christmases, those all night wrapping sessions and watching the only TV station that stayed on with Midnight Mass somewhere. I've got seventy some to look back on, and my "pond" is relatively free of "ripples," a few, not glass like, which I prefer.
We both have pretty good health, for our age, and don't for a minute think that you don't "feel" it when you get older, plenty of food, warm, TV, laptop and desktop, two cars and a dog, children, grand children and great grandchildren, (two things I always stock up on, toilet paper and coffee), so we are blessed.
Merry Christmas to all ...........................
