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 Let's Talk
Denise Rolark Barnes
Columnist Page
Friday, December 17, 2004; Page 18
The Reason for the Season
Let us not forget the reason for the season. It is Christmas, the religious holiday set aside for Christians all over the world to celebrate the birth of The Messiah – Jesus Christ. Yet, since the week before Thanksgiving, the season continues to offer reasons for consumers to break into their bank accounts and bust their budgets to buy, buy, buy and then to remember Christ as the Savior who will protect us from our creditors once the season has ended.
Retailers look to this day with great anticipation. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), most malls began decorating for the holidays on November 1 with “Jingle Bells” topping the playlist of songs played the most during the holiday season and “White Christmas” following as the second most frequently played song.
Ninety-five percent of all malls began extended holiday shopping hours on November 26, the day after Thanksgiving, and they hired an average of two full-time Santa’s who arrived on November 20 as the highlight in a holiday parade. Santa will be visited by an average of 6,000 children (80 per day) who will take an average of 3,000 pictures with him this year.
According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), retailers classify the “winter holidays” as the period including Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah and Kwanzaa, and for them, it is the season that represents anywhere between 25-40 percent of their annual sales. Last year (2003), holiday sales represented 22.83 percent of retailers’ total annual sales. This year, the NRF is projecting holiday sales to be $219.9 billion, 4.5 percent higher than 2003. In 2003, holiday sales grew 5.1 percent to $210.4 billion, the largest increase since 1999.
And how does the ICSC predict we will spend our money. The “hot items” they say we will be buying include: Mini MP3 players, wireless accessories, cell phones with built-in cameras, scented candles, home spa accessories, health and fitness kits, hotel-style luxury items including towels, pillows, bed sheets, comforters and china; ponchos, shawls and wraps in pink, tweed and suede; jewelry and ELMO singing to the tune of YMCA for the kiddies.
According to CardWeb.com's® CardTrak® service, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, Americans will charge nearly $108 billion in retail purchases on general-purpose credit/charge cards, signature debit cards, and store credit cards, about 6.2% more than 2003, and consumers will rack up $2.6 million per minute on payment cards during the 29 shopping days. On average, households with at least one credit or debit card will charge $1,285 between the holidays. This does not include groceries, gasoline, restaurant, and travel expenses.
Let us not forget the reason for the season. The retailers haven’t, nor have the charitable organizations that are filling our home and business mailboxes with wonderful stories about the needs they meet throughout the year. Their solicitations remind us that they are facing even greater challenges and needs which is why they include an envelope so that individuals like you and I can help by giving. In the spirit of the season, they want us to give our time, our food, our unused clothing, our automobiles, our blood, our organs and especially our money so that those who so desperately need any of these things can receive them as a gift that they don’t have the money to buy. For those who need it, in order to qualify for a tax deduction in this calendar year, end of the year giving decisions must be made by December 31. According to charitynavigator.org, half of all charitable donations for the entire year will be made between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Let us not forget the reason for the season. This is also the time when we should spend money with ourselves. Black-owned businesses generally don’t fare well during the holiday season, and so it is a blessing for Juanita “Busy Bee” Britton and Ayo Handy Kendi, who have provided venues for African American vendors to reach consumers in a mall-like setting. Be mindful of SisterSpace and Books and other businesses that look for our business and our dollars during the holidays, too.
Let us not forget the reason for the season. It is not about Santa, the malls, the gifts or the credit cards. It is about the birth of a Savior and a celebration of His life.
For Denise Rolark Barnes send email to drbarnes@washingtoninformer.com
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