Will this be a Hard Candy Christmas?

[tomreedtoon]

I won't be able to buy the kind of presents for the people I know that I used to. My grown siblings have already agreed for the last few years that we would only buy presents for each other's kids, not each other, since we can't afford it.

I work in TV, and am used to the fact that local merchants don't advertise on TV any more; they can't afford it. In fact, there are very few local merchants, since Wal-Mart and its ilk have become the biggest sellers of goods. That means that people in the local community won't have jobs, or money to spend.

And two visible signs of economic disease are very troubling. The stores are packed with Halloween candy and goods - which are NOT flying off the shelves. Whether Halloween candy was bought for the kids (who are too afraid to trick-or-treat) or secretly for adults to gorge on, no one is buying. There are also a lot of empty spaces at the strip mall, going back to the idea that locally-owned small businesses are the biggest employers of people. No businesses, no local jobs, no money in the economy.

It's not simply that we are going to have little more than hard candy for Christmas. If you remember "Best Little Whorehouse," that song is sung by the decent, good-hearted whores as they start packing up as the Chicken Ranch is put out of business by a hypocritical Texan government. The whores, their faces creased with worry, try to figure out what they're going to do next. For many of us, the Christmas bonus will be a pink slip.

One other point. I don't remember birthdays or anniversaries or anything else. I do remember Christmas. It's only partially a religious holiday, and I don't try to be ostentatious with gifts for a false sense of prestige or anything. I try to get people things appropriate for their lives, things that show I understand what they're going through and that I care for them. I'm afraid all I can give to the people I love this year is desperate hugs, as we all shiver in the cold with the furnace off and with the food limited to the old cans at the back of the cubboard.

[Rowdyboy]

1. Thankfully I don't have kids to buy for....But, yes, its a.....

(apologies to Dolly Parton)

"Hard Candy Christmas"

Hey, maybe I’ll dye my hair
Maybe I’ll move somewhere
Maybe I’ll get a car
Maybe I’ll drive so far
They’ll all lose track
Me, I’ll bounce right back
Maybe I’ll sleep real late
Maybe I’ll lose some weight
Maybe I’ll clear my junk
Maybe I’ll just get drunk on apple wine
Me, I’ll be just

Fine and dandy
Lord it’s like a hard candy christmas
I’m barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won’t let
Sorrow bring me way down

I’ll be fine and dandy
Lord it’s like a hard candy christmas
I’m barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won’t let
Sorrow get me way down

Hey, maybe I’ll learn to sew
Maybe I’ll just lie low
Maybe I’ll hit the bars
Maybe I’ll count the stars until dawn
Me, I will go on

Maybe I’ll settle down
Maybe I’ll just leave town
Maybe I’ll have some fun
Maybe I’ll meet someone
And make him mine
Me, I’ll be just

Fine and dandy
Lord it’s like a hard candy christmas
I’m barely getting throung tomorrow
But still I won’t let
Sorrow bring me way down

I’ll be fine and dandy
Lord it’s like a hard candy christmas
I’m barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won’t let
Sorrow bring me way down

I’ll be fine and dandy
Lord it’s like a hard candy christmas
I’m barely getting through tomorrow
But still I won’t let
Sorrow bring me way down

’cause I’ll be fine
(I’ll be fine)
Oh, I’ll be fine

on edit: I never had a "hard candy Christmas, but I did go through one "Green Stamp" Christmas. 12 books with 5 children left my mom pretty stretched.

[benburch]

2. A hug is sometimes the best gift.

And yes, nobody I know is planning a big Holiday this year. The strip malls here in the Chicago suburbs are filling spaces with "dollar stores".

How many of these can you have in one area?

They seem to close in about six months after opening, and another takes their place.

My friend at the bank says there are a lot of houses they COULD foreclose on but are trying to help the buyers resume payments because they know they could never sell them without a loss.

[kineneb]

3. going to be a hand-knit wool sock Christmas

and hats, scarves, etc. If I can't spin and knit it, it ain't happening. I am supporting the local economy by buying my roving from a local "grower." (I have even met the sheep and llamas.)

"Dear little brother, the wool for your hat came from Spot the sheep."

[KayLaw]

4. A thrift store Christmas here

We're getting the boys theme park passes and taking them for a four-night trip to Disney (we live nearby). Other than that they're getting a few new toys but mainly secondhand things. Yesterday, I bought a Playstation 2 game and an ET video at a garage sale. I spent all of $6 which is the way to go as far as I'm concerned.

[SPIKE KATZ]

5. I hope that no one shops at Walmart for xmas