‘Tis the Season to Spend Money

Yesterday I got two concrete examples of why I’m so very, very tired of the commercialism of this time of year.

First, there was a lady looking to buy a gift for her hard-to-buy-for sister-in-law. She wasn’t looking to spend very much, but in the end she spent over $100 on a table runner, napkins and napkin rings. She kept asking me if I thought they made a nice gift. It seemed to me that she didn’t once consider whether it was appropriate for her sister-in-law, rather she just wanted something generic and nice.

Later in the day, an older gentleman came into the store looking for our “expensive cards”. I showed him some beautiful cards that cost $4.50, and he took one with a scene of the three kings following the star. He asked if I thought it was nice, which I did and commented that it would be very nice for someone who is religious. He said to me “No, but he is someone very successful and important.” Now I had a pretty clear picture of what was going on. He asked again for a more expensive card, and in the end bought a slightly more expensive handmade card. He seemed to have little interest in what it looked like or said, it just had to cost a lot of money.

Although I am Wiccan, I still celebrate Christmas with my family. When I buy gifts, I try to buy something the person will use or keep as something special. It isn’t worth my time or money to buy something to show off or that isn’t right for the person. But I guess not everyone feels that way.