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Editorial
Editorial Archives
Friday, November 26, 2004; Page 13
The Holiday Season
The National Retail Federation reports retail spending among Americans is expected to be $219.9 billion this year in just the months of November and December alone. This is a 4.5 percent increase from 2003. $16.7 billion are projected to be spent online, which is a 29 percent increase from 2003. On an individual scale, the average American consumer will spend $702.03 this holiday season.
Many Americans are attributing these astronomical expenditures to technology. Online shopping makes buying easier than ever before, as one can go bankrupt without ever leaving their home. The Internet allows for retailers to reach a global consumer audience. But des this mean that the easier it is to shop, the more we will buy?
Consumers have also explained that optimism about the country’s economic standing is also factor. If the media reports increased employment and a decreased deficit, then Americans begin to believe that better times are ahead for the nation.
Lastly, everyone knows that children are not asking for the same things that they used to ask for decades ago. No one wants dolls or toy soldiers anymore; video games and high tech gadgets are the only thing that seems to get a smile from a child’s face nowadays. Looking beyond the November and December months, couples celebrating Valentine’s Day no longer consider flowers and candy, as women are asking for diamonds and men are asking for plasma televisions more and more.
Holidays like the one that most recently passed, Thanksgiving Day, should cause us to inquire about the origins of these annual celebrations and why we put so much money towards them. Often times, one will discover that he or she does not agree with the very holiday that they honor every year with family and friends. And if one decides that it does warrant recognition, a true analysis of the celebration’s historical context may bring about the conclusion that America has done families a great injustice by appealing to their wallets rather than their hearts. |
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