Happy Retail Shopping Season!

Hope you all had a good one. Although I guess I'm a little early in using the past tense, since the new tradition is that Boxing day sales just didn't cut it, so now its morphed into Boxing Week sales. This year the crass commercialism also started earlier than ever. Since advertising flyer day is Friday, and Hallowe'en inopportunely fell on a Saturday, Retail Shopping Season started the day before Hallowe'en rather than the usual day after.

Sigh. I know I'm a curmudgeon, but really people. I'm amazed to hear myself say this, but I think I like commercial christmas even less than I liked christian christmas. Although I do appreciate the irony (and hypocrisy) of celebrating the former while espousing the beliefs of the latter.

On the drive back from christmas day get-together, Leaf and I talked about the 'traditions' we remembered from our own childhood. Stores were closed by law on boxing day, so none of the crazy post christmas shopping frenzy nonsense you see today. We both talked about family, and the joy of spending a few days together. Fewer presents were more meaningful presents, and they were handed out and unwrapped and appreciated one at at time rather than an orgy of opening.

We both agreed that one of the highlights of our trip down to see her family was how much fun Mars had playing with his cousins. Running, jumping, tumbling, wrestling... He loved every minute of it. That's what he will remember about christmas.

Two other little Mars moments that make me feel we are doing a good job raising him. Christmas eve dinner he and his two cousins raid the drink fridge and come running to the table with their chosen spoils. Cousins both have the caffeinated pop they aren't allowed to drink. Mars is all excited with the bottle of water he picked for himself as a special treat!

Boxing day he is upset for something or other and wants his toys. He got a crapload the day before. Beeping ones, talking ones, big ones, fancy ones... All he is interested in is the handful of glow-in-the-dark tiny dinosaurs that 'Santa' picked up from the dollar store knowing he'd like them best.





12478