Wrong Time of the Year for the Holidays?

The American consumer, I have heard, holds the key to stemming the tide of bad economic news. It is simple really. Go forth and spend money like there is no tomorrow...and for once that might be right....THERE MAY BE NO TOMORROW.

OK, seriously. How does this work? Investments have taken a beating, Job security ain’t what it used to be. Many folks are working but are “underemployed”. Money is tight. No credit, no certainty that it is not going to get (a lot) worse. And yet, if we stay at home during the holiday season, and avoid buying the IPods, the Abercrombie and Fitch sweatshirts, and this season’s Pet Rocks that we all need so desperately, the economy will suffer even further, and we will nosedive ever closer to an even worse downturn.

Is there some sort of signal that is emitted when this recession becomes a “depression”? And if not, perhaps we are already there. I am just about ready to stop watching the news, because, frankly, it is depressing. Seems like depression is at hand.

Thanksgiving Day is a week away, and after that, the Christmas shopping season begins in earnest. I am guessing there will be parking near the door this year. A lot will have to change in the next week to reverse the mindset that this year is a time for restraint, if not outright rejection of the end of the year shopping binge.

Perhaps this will be that holiday season where we set aside our materialistic impulses and appreciate our friends and family as the gifts they are. Maybe that starts at Thanksgiving as we appreciate the irony of a huge meal amidst such uncertainty. There will no doubt be more hungry folks this year, as we sit down to carve a turkey...maybe even you, or me.

In seasons past, we have all dutifully reached into our wallets and done our duty as consumers despite the times. That seems all but impossible now. The sting of this season will be felt in the retail stores, and that will surely add to the bad news. But what will be the long term cost as we turn our backs on the retail establishments in our home towns? Will this finally spell the end of the mom and pop boutique? Will Wal-Mart finally take over everything and leave us with no other shopping options? How can we combat the reality of cheap prices at the expense of employees, suppliers, and land use planning. Do we kiss Main Street goodbye once and for all? Before we drive past the small businesses en route to the big box outside of town, perhaps we’ll find “rock star parking” near our local shops...the mom and pop liquor store, the toy store that sells only toys, and the clothing store that might not even have a website. Think of all the cheap gas we will save.