Christmas is a time to be thankful and enjoy the company of those that you love and appreciate the ones who couldn't be with you. We can see the good in everyone and even the nastiest among us enjoy the excitement and warmth of the season. More importantly, it is the time of year when we can all get behind something that we truly value and believe in: consumerism.
We all know that peace, joy, and love are totally cool but those alone are not good enough to get all Americans on the Christmas train. Thankfully, material possessions have brought us together in a way that baby Jesus just couldn't. As I worked at a popular retail chain on Christmas Eve and watched the last minute shoppers gather their items in their overflowing carts, my heart overflowed with good cheer. I knew there was hope for the future. Even the Grinch would appreciate the sights I witnessed.
I had the good fortune to help a guest find a holiday themed DVD starring Tim Allen and we chatted casually about the holidays. She told me that when she was younger all of the stores closed at noon on Christmas Eve and she voiced her opinion on how terrible it was that we had to work. I told her that I suppose we are open because people love to shop and they also love to wait to the last minute. She said but still it's cruel to make people work. Then she glanced around and whispered that only Jewish people should work on Christmas Eve and Day. I didn't have the heart to tell this woman that she was directly responsible for Target remaining open. I just couldn't say that because she needed to have the original Santa Clause Special Edition DVD, I was forced to work. I didn't explain that business decisions are based on making a profit. I felt that telling her this would be like telling a child that Santa isn't real. It would take all the wonder and magic out of her future shopping experiences. I didn't want to have that on my conscience. That's why I told her that I was Jewish and muttered some phrases that sounded like Yiddish. I hope I fooled her.
Merry Christmas and I hope you bought me something.
No comments:
Post a Comment