Christmas Credit Crunch
Suddenly everyone is talking about saving money. It’s like some hidden phenomena that non-one has discovered-until now. We have the stern-faced dour politicians telling us what is good for us. Save, spend, save, and spend, er, no better save….sorry! All at once the people who scorned the pound shop are battling to the check out with their half price Woolie’s sale bags. The stampede is on for a cheap, if not so cheerful, Christmas. Nerves are jarring, tensions are fraught and the usual holiday season excitement is replaced by easily rattled shoppers obsessively watching the interest rate. Even Bing is dreaming of a ‘tight Christmas’. It paints a dark and dreary picture one that I can’t remember ever happening before in my lifetime.
I am sure I am not alone in being fed-up to the core of TV channels telling me where to go to get the cheapest turkey, crackers, pudding, little black dress. What is the point, apparently there is nowhere to wear it if I bought one. It’s a bit like that Don McLean song, The Day the Music Died, except more depressing! At least they got to kick off their shoes and have a dance in the gym all we have is job losses, negative equity and Lorraine Kelly single handedly beating the credit crunch with cheap deals on the high street.
There is nothing to look forward to- or is there?
Maybe it’s not quite the time to give up and stick our heads in the gas oven, maybe this Christmas won’t be a complete wash-out. This year the kids might be happy with just ONE Play Station game instead of TEN. This year families might sit around and talk and do those age old (but forgotten) things like communicate and (God forbid) play a board game.
I must be getting old, I’m beginning to sound like that elderly lady (or gent) who takes a shine to you at the bus stop and tells you in detail how spoilt kid’s (and adults) are today. She then proceeds to Argos to empty their warehouse for her Grandchildren’s Christmas stockings.
I just think if we all put a bit more thought into it and were a bit nicer to each other (you don’t have to over do it!) we wouldn’t need all the glitter and expense to prop us up through the festive season. Oh, I know it’s idealistic and it will take a few years to attain it but if focusing on spreading love and joy at Christmas gets me out of pushing my way around Primark on December the 20th it’s a jolly good excuse and one I think I am going to adopt. They say ‘life goes on’ don’t they? So sod the credit crunch and the lack of prezzies just try to be a bit nicer to everyone and we will all get through it, one way or another.
