Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! Did I get them all? The holidays are upon us and many people around the world consider this the best time of year.
Especially children.
If you live in one of the western democracies, you know what the Christmas season is like.
Black Friday has been the traditional "opening" of the Christmas shopping season.
In the United States, "Black Friday" is the day after Thanksgiving.
It is called "Black Friday" because historically, that is the day when retailers revenues crossed from red (debt) to black (profit).
In Japan, customers line up in orderly fashion waiting for stores to open.
When the doors finally open, Japanese customers move in a procession somewhat like a parade.
Everything is orderly and peaceful.
In the United States, not so much.
In the United States, masses and hordes of people wait outside store doors scrambling for the best position.
When the doors finally open, the crowd makes a rush for the open portal each person seeking to be the first to grab that "best deal of a lifetime.
" It is not uncommon for fights to break out between customers pushing through the door or scrabbling over that special item.
Unfortunately, sometimes people are badly hurt or even trampled to death in the mad frenzy.
But whether you go shopping on Black Friday or do all your shopping online on Cyber Monday - or another day - it is nearly impossible to escape that indescribable feeling of the season.
There seems to be a sense of joy in the air.
Peace seems to settle across the countryside as a sense of joy fills each soul.
This is a big contrast to the frenzied shopping, the long lines at the check-out counters and the commercialization that has come to seemingly dominate our celebration of these holidays.
But if you give yourself a chance, the feeling is there, it is almost a palpable feeling, a sense of something more than human, a sense of the extraordinary and the supernatural.
And this is how it should be.
Instead of the crass commercialization and the mass accumulation of gifts, this season is about the birth of a child.
He lived, he died and he rose again to save us from the sins of the world - and from ourselves.
There is nothing wrong with gift-giving, there is nothing wrong with shopping - either in person or online - nor is there any fault for wanting to participate in the greatest season of the year.
It is expected that you want to express your feelings for your friends and family - and maybe even a co-worker or two.
So why not give that special gift to that special someone? You know how much it will mean to them.
You know how good it will make you feel.
So don't hesitate, get your shopping done sooner rather than later when all the "good" stuff is gone!
Especially children.
If you live in one of the western democracies, you know what the Christmas season is like.
Black Friday has been the traditional "opening" of the Christmas shopping season.
In the United States, "Black Friday" is the day after Thanksgiving.
It is called "Black Friday" because historically, that is the day when retailers revenues crossed from red (debt) to black (profit).
In Japan, customers line up in orderly fashion waiting for stores to open.
When the doors finally open, Japanese customers move in a procession somewhat like a parade.
Everything is orderly and peaceful.
In the United States, not so much.
In the United States, masses and hordes of people wait outside store doors scrambling for the best position.
When the doors finally open, the crowd makes a rush for the open portal each person seeking to be the first to grab that "best deal of a lifetime.
" It is not uncommon for fights to break out between customers pushing through the door or scrabbling over that special item.
Unfortunately, sometimes people are badly hurt or even trampled to death in the mad frenzy.
But whether you go shopping on Black Friday or do all your shopping online on Cyber Monday - or another day - it is nearly impossible to escape that indescribable feeling of the season.
There seems to be a sense of joy in the air.
Peace seems to settle across the countryside as a sense of joy fills each soul.
This is a big contrast to the frenzied shopping, the long lines at the check-out counters and the commercialization that has come to seemingly dominate our celebration of these holidays.
But if you give yourself a chance, the feeling is there, it is almost a palpable feeling, a sense of something more than human, a sense of the extraordinary and the supernatural.
And this is how it should be.
Instead of the crass commercialization and the mass accumulation of gifts, this season is about the birth of a child.
He lived, he died and he rose again to save us from the sins of the world - and from ourselves.
There is nothing wrong with gift-giving, there is nothing wrong with shopping - either in person or online - nor is there any fault for wanting to participate in the greatest season of the year.
It is expected that you want to express your feelings for your friends and family - and maybe even a co-worker or two.
So why not give that special gift to that special someone? You know how much it will mean to them.
You know how good it will make you feel.
So don't hesitate, get your shopping done sooner rather than later when all the "good" stuff is gone!