November 1st marks a very important day in the lives of many Americans working here in our great country. No, it's not a national holiday, or a religious one. Instead, Nov. 1st marks the day when the Halloween decorations come down and Christmas trees begin to permeate malls, Targets, Walmarts, and pretty much any retail store anywhere in America.
'Tis the season to fight for parking in busy lots. 'Tis the season to purchase odd foods which would never be seriously eaten outside of the holiday season such as eggnog, fruitcake, and the ever-elusive Tom and Jerry batter. 'Tis the season of receiving gifts you never even thought you needed much less wanted.
Working in retail has given me a sneak peek at the preparations for the holiday shopping season. Notice the word shopping inserted in bold. For the most part I find that the people that surround me empathize with me about the fact that the holiday season is, one, overblown, and two, waaaaaaay too early these days.
Since when did the madness begin on Nov. 1st? I always thought that the Black Friday sales were early enough. I thought that seeing Santa Claus at the end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade signaled to Americans that it was now OK to bring the Christmas tree from the basement.
However, I've received calls at the gift shop where I work about holiday ornaments and evergreen branches, not only on Nov. 1st, but also before. "Yes," I say as I roll my eyes internally, "we do carry the special two dimensional Bavarian pewter hand-painted ornaments which run from $50 to $300 per ornament."
So, instead of focusing on conventional gifts on my blog this holiday season, as I know many blogs will be doing, I would like to propose unconventional "gifts". Each week, I'd like to propose ideas that are not only thoughtful but also thought-provoking, promote wellness, coming together as a community, giving to those less fortunate, and loving the earth.
If you have any great ideas for unconventional gifts, please pass them along via comments or email me at mstoltz25@gmail.com. I'd love to hear ideas or personal stories about gifts that you have received that went further than their material selves. They could cost money, or be no money at all, or be d.i.y. projects. Get creative! I'll be posting a new idea every week on Tuesday.
Thanks, and I can't wait to hear your suggestions!
