Spending season begins
Amie Johnson
Issue date: 12/1/04 Section: Entertainment
- Page 1 of 1
Before the final presidential election votes were completely tallied, the decorations began to go up, heralding in the official Christmas season in Lake Charles. While many, especially retail workers, would consider this conservative, we must recognize the consequences. This year, the Christmas season will last for nearly two whole months. Assuming that most people waited until mid-November to begin dusting off the mistletoe and dragging out the twinkle-lights, that is still an entire 40 days out of a possible 365 that are taken up with the celebration of whatever it is that Christmas signifies in the present age.
Extrapolating, one concludes that, if the current margin does not blow out, nearly eight percent of our whole lives are Christmas.
For 18 years Lake Charles resident Karen Larocca has been setting up her Christmas display. "I used to put it up for my kids," says Larocca, "but now I put it up for my grandchildren." Taking several days to set up, her front-yard display consists of a 15-foot inflatable Santa accompanied by an equally large snowman and a trio of delicate, white-light deer. Hundreds of strands of lights drape every available surface from trees to eaves resulting in a twinkling, gleaming and overwhelmingly heady vision of plastic joy.
Americans spend billions annually on oversized baubles, wreathes and lights urged on by relentless sales advertising and in-store marketing. Nearly $800 million go towards stamps, and a further $4 billion on holiday greeting cards alone.
"Since I first started (18 years ago) putting up this display," says Larocca, "now I see the kids of the (now grown) kids who originally would stop by our house. Next year, I want a nativity set."
Small plastic nativity scenes can cost as much as $100 for in-home displays, while life-size outdoor displays can cost upwards of $3,000.
The Center for a New American Dream estimates that 70 percent of Americans would welcome lower holiday spending and a less consumer-driven yuletide season.
Perhaps if we can set the season target at approximately 1 percent of our lives, giving us a generous five days of potent Christmas, it would be easier to focus on what is truly important: giving from the heart rather than the pocketbook.
Extrapolating, one concludes that, if the current margin does not blow out, nearly eight percent of our whole lives are Christmas.
For 18 years Lake Charles resident Karen Larocca has been setting up her Christmas display. "I used to put it up for my kids," says Larocca, "but now I put it up for my grandchildren." Taking several days to set up, her front-yard display consists of a 15-foot inflatable Santa accompanied by an equally large snowman and a trio of delicate, white-light deer. Hundreds of strands of lights drape every available surface from trees to eaves resulting in a twinkling, gleaming and overwhelmingly heady vision of plastic joy.
Americans spend billions annually on oversized baubles, wreathes and lights urged on by relentless sales advertising and in-store marketing. Nearly $800 million go towards stamps, and a further $4 billion on holiday greeting cards alone.
"Since I first started (18 years ago) putting up this display," says Larocca, "now I see the kids of the (now grown) kids who originally would stop by our house. Next year, I want a nativity set."
Small plastic nativity scenes can cost as much as $100 for in-home displays, while life-size outdoor displays can cost upwards of $3,000.
The Center for a New American Dream estimates that 70 percent of Americans would welcome lower holiday spending and a less consumer-driven yuletide season.
Perhaps if we can set the season target at approximately 1 percent of our lives, giving us a generous five days of potent Christmas, it would be easier to focus on what is truly important: giving from the heart rather than the pocketbook.
