Blog Post: It's the most wonderful time of the year, or is it?

I recently heard the familiar tune on the radio, the one that purports that this is the most wonderful time of the year. But I wonder...is it really all that wonderful? Don't get me wrong, I am not some "anti-Christmas" scrooge or anything and I truly enjoy the holiday season and the opportunities to be with friends and family and to share some good cheer, but to read the newspaper or watch the news, one would question how wonderful the months of November and December really are here in the U.S.

As I commute or travel to visit friends and relatives this season, I inevitably witness incidents of road rage, and angry or aggressive driving. I have even felt a little stress over what to prepare for holiday meals (and the dreaded clean up after the meals have been consumed). But the least wonderful time of all is this social experiment known as "Black Friday." Right here in southern California, a woman made national news by dousing her fellow shoppers with pepper spray to clear a path to the XBox players at Walmart. Who does that? Though I do not yet know the whole story, it strikes me as disconcerting that the woman felt the need to bring pepper spray with her while on a Christmas shopping trip in the first place. Then there are the smash-and-grab incidents around the country, muggers waiting in dark parking lots for unsuspecting shoppers who have just spent their hard-earned dollars on gifts, only to have them snatched away from them as they walk to their cars. What's next? When I heard that many of the retail stores were going to open at midnight, my immediate reaction was one of concern for the safety of those shoppers who were going to brave the dark parking lots and huge crowds.

I really don't know what to make of all of this, but I could think of a lot more wonderful times than these. It's no wonder that Cyber Monday has gained so much momentum. But what can we do to reverse this trend? Do we retreat to our warm, cozy homes and do all of our shopping online? Do we write pointed letters to the Presidents and Boards of the large chains, such as Walmart and Target pleading with them to learn from this social experiment and put an end to it?