Bah, Humbug, and Good Night
MEGAN MCARDLE ON CHRISTMAS AND THE ECONOMY: “The only good thing that I can possibly think of about this financial crisis is that it may break the rat race of constantly ratcheting consumption, which has surrounded most Americans with nice things that don’t really make them happy. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with buying whatever you want, when you have the money to afford it. But when you start thinking that you need toys and television sets to have a happy life, we’re all in trouble.”…
Of course, for us academics, recessions can be good times. I know quite a few faculty types who’ve acquired boats, lake houses, cars, etc. at bargain prices from stockbrokers and other commision- and bonus-dependent folks when times turned bad. As an academic, you don’t make much (if any) more when times are flush, but your salary is still there when times are not-so-flush, and that supports buying opportunities. People who habitually save money and have cash in the bank are in a similar position. People who borrow against their 401K plans to buy their kids robot dinosaurs
are not.
We just got back from University Village Mall. It’s like Stanford Shopping Center, or wishes it was. It’s incredibly crass, gauche, over-blown, and gaudy. There’s a YSL store, and a Coach store, and a grocery store, and a store devoted entirely to identical glass cups to put a single votive candle in to give as gifts. This last store was actually filled with browsers being helped by the three or so sales associates there to explain the various qualities of the green glass vs the pink. But the worst part of it is the way they have it set up like a city center, with “streets” (parking lot) with cross walks, patio tables, even some life-size bronze statues of cows lounging in the concrete (“Look! It’s just like we’re in the country!” Peter said). A faux city that smug liberals have built themselves after voting repeatedly and for years to kill the real city so they can feel better about themselves and then escape to the fake city they’ve built for themselves.
But the thing that really pissed me off was all the Christmas music.
Update (11.23): I don’t usually do this, but for the benefit of you Instapundit readers, the place I’m talking about is Seattle.
November 23rd, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Don’t worry…if it’s like the malls I know, they only play Christesque music. “Frosty,” “Santa Claus is coming to Town” and even “Chestnuts” have nothing to do with the Savior, so they were secular property to begin with.
If they just happen to be playing sacred music, the listeners are getting subconsciously evangelized, so that’s all good, too.
November 23rd, 2008 at 6:08 pm
My sister worked in a chocolate factory for a while – and has never eaten chocolate since. Is it that way with people in retail and Christmas music?
November 23rd, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Angels we have heard on high, Tell us to go out, and buy.
November 23rd, 2008 at 6:55 pm
We’re in that strange season before Thanksgiving and after Halloween (or is it Labor Day?) when merchants lose all sense of decorum and start force-feeding us Christmas, subverting even the most well-brought-up children into becoming greedy little whiners. I call it Friggin’ Christmas, and flat out refuse to participate. Until the turkey is carved and eaten, and I’ve had some pumpkin pie for breakfast the following morning, I refuse, even to listen to a Christmas carol. Until then, it’s Bah, Humbug! on Friggin’ Christmas. (However, some hot egg nog, preferably with a stiff shot of scotch, is welcome any time from Halloween to Epiphany.)
November 23rd, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Aw, c’mon… U Village isn’t THAT bad. I think the bronzed animal statues are nice touches, and the frog fountain is a nice water feature.
The food at the Pasta Company is delish, and my wife loves Red Mango’s green tea frozen yogurt.
Barnes and Noble is a nice place to hang out while she gets her nails done at Sea-Top Nails.
If someone really thinks it is like being “in the country”… then they clearly have no real frame of reference, and should head out to the Palouse.
And if the votive candle holder store and piped music displeases you… DON’T GO THERE. Go to Northgate, or better yet, enjoy the gritty urbanism of the Ave.
November 23rd, 2008 at 7:09 pm
I take the opposite approach: fully immerse myself in what you call “Friggin’ Christmas,” Mike Anderson, in November, so that in December I can celebrate not just Christmas but even (gasp!) Advent in the way I prefer. I try to get all the gifts bought, all the cards sent, all the cookies made and frozen (or the dough made so it just needs to be sliced or scooped and baked, as needed, for fresh and hot cookies), all the “obligatory” charitable giving taken care of (so we can perform random acts of charity in December), all the decorations out and up – before the first Sunday of Advent. Then I ferociously defend our December, so we can have peace when we want it, festivity as we want it, joy as much as possible.
It kind of screws November, but hey, it’s largely screwed already, I figure.
November 23rd, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Christmas music before Thanksgiving is especially important to turkey farmers. It calms the birds. “Ah! Christmas music”, says one old Tom to another. “We must have made it through Thanksgiving once again! I love that ‘Deck the Halls with Bau….’ ” CHOP
November 23rd, 2008 at 8:34 pm
Even in July U Village is loathsome.
November 24th, 2008 at 2:05 am
If you still have money, go shopping. A pair of Dr. Marten for my husband priced at $85.00 at Macy’s. They didn’t have his size. Got them at Amazon @$42.00, no shipping and handling.
Also bought a Ford, Escape. They paid us $1000 to buy the car on credit. But we can pay the entire amount back after the first month, paying about $100 interest, and pocket the rest. With various discounts, our car, listed at $24,000 costed us around $20,000. It has sun roof, leather seats, Sirius radio, power this and that as standard, anti-lock brakes, 6-cylinders, full of air-bags (i.e. front and side), smaller than regular SUVs, very easy to handle. Test drove two. The first one wasn’t good, the second one was faultless.
Over the years, we had a Ford Explorer, a GM Blazer, two Chrysler Grand Cherokees. This Ford Escape is the best and the least expensive. The GM Blazer was really bad, we called it a tin can. No foreign cars for us. Frankly, most horror stories about our domestic cars are not warranted. They may not be better than a Japanese car, but they are cheaper. A friend of ours bought a Toyota which was made by Ford. We told them the same damn thing with a Ford Logo was $600 less. They bought the Toyota anyway. That was stupid.
November 24th, 2008 at 3:46 am
If the bible is correct, Jesus was born in early September. So that cloying music you heard is actually about 2 months late. Happy Saturnalia.
November 24th, 2008 at 11:57 am
I love Christmas decorations and Christmas music and I don’t care how early the stores start. I don’t go to the mall very often and I can still celebrate Christmas the way I want to, no matter what Sears does.
I love my Lexus.
November 25th, 2008 at 4:46 am
The block, we are all over it. Brownings are your best entertainment value.
November 25th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Went to University Village last Saturday at 2PM for sushi (I happen to like Blue C Sushi, your mileage may vary.) Didn’t get any though. Couldn’t find a parking spot, not even out in the boonies in back of the QFC. Didn’t even try to circle as there was no room in the lanes due to all the other cars circling around looking for spots.
I thought there was some kind of financial crisis going on, but guess not.