I walked out of a store today because

[Skidmore]

the Christmas music was making me anxious. Going to do my weekly errands in town has become a source of stress. How to make the gas to get there stretch, how to make the grocery budget money cover the necessities, and hoping against hope that nothing breaks during the week which absolutely must be replaced. I started my shopping going off of my carefully prepared list, but my attention kept wandering and my heart started pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears and I got that feeling in the pit of my stomach you get when you need to take flight. I did. I wheeled my cart over by the customer service stand and ask the lady if I could leave it there for a bit and I went outside to calm myself. I realized I was panicking and that, as I sought to calm myself, some of the relief came from not being exposed to the loud Christmas music in the store. This holiday finds me anxious and scared and angry. I'm sick of being told I have to shop to support an economy which doesn't support us adequately. I'm sick of being told that our lives are not worth the effort of extremely wealthy people who benefit from our labor and spending to invest in our infrastructure and in jobs. I'm sick of hearing about jittery millionaires and billionaires who won't invest because they don't know what their tax rates will be for the next year. I'm sick of being extorted.

I will not Christmas shop this year. I gave a little money to my daughter for her to buy clothing for the grandchildren for Christmas, but beyond those essentials, I will not spend one thin dime to line the pockets of another freaking filthy rich person who will shelter it overseas or in hedge funds. We will continue to buy the necessities and nothing else.

[Brickbat]

1. This here is the true war on Christmas, right here. Not your actions, but the actions of the

businesses and corporate interests that say we absolutely have to spend ourselves into oblivion in order to have a real holiday. And if we don't, we're bad citizens, bad people, Grinches and Scrooges, and party-poopers, and class war wannabes. It's a goddamn mess.

[BoneDaddy]

10. The war on Christmas is in your head

you are an adult, make a choice not to participate in it. Time to grow up people.

[Brickbat]

15. Don't worry, I'm comfortable doing my own thing.

I just think it's funny that people who worry about "Happy Holidays" totally miss the point of the holiday itself anyway.

[BoneDaddy]

17. My comment wasn't so much directed towards you

but the countless amount of whiners I hear who make themselves crazy over the "holiday".

[Brickbat]

20. I apologize for sounding snippy.

It sounds like we're on the same page. :hi:

[BoneDaddy]

25. NP

enjoy )

[Skidmore]

23. It is not just the spending for a holiday.

It is the idea that people with limited incomes are browbeaten to spend to support the economy. Period. All the while, jobs are being lost and not replaced and incomes pared down and you are expected to suck it up and take it while some bozo on the teevee who caters to the wealthy is telling you that they are passing over the $10K watches because those are considered to be of inferior quality. A $10K watch??? How else could that be invested to create bang for the buck?

[Brickbat]

29. I know exactly where you're coming from. We have had some rough Christmases and seeing constant

reminders about how easy it is to shop for everyone is terribly depressing after awhile. Even when you know it can't possibly apply to you, the bastards get in your head anyway.

[grasswire]

2. maybe you could find some pleasure in buying handmade local items...

...from people who desperately need the money. People still do make handmade toys and sewn items and artwork and much more. Maybe there's a market or Christmas fair where they gather to show their stuff.

[AnArmyVeteran]

33. One year I made furniture & things for everyone.

One of the things I made were wooden pantry shelves that fit on a door. Everyone loved them. It was so much more rewarding than just buying things.

[tsuki]

70. I give my friends homemade pickles and jams in recycled baskets and boxes. nt

[bluestate10]

99. Hear, Hear!!!! nt

[slackmaster]

3. You need an iPod

Insulate yourself.

[Jester Messiah]

7. Or an old walkman. iPods can be pricey. [nt]

[Posteritatis]

51. Generic mp3 players get pretty cheap

The one I had for a couple years - it finally died a few months ago - was something like forty bucks for two gigs and a not-great-but-okay battery life.

[Ian David]

4. ...

[peace13]

5. Good on you!

You will enjoy the winter holiday much more because of this. It has been five years since we gave up on the rat race at Christmas time. In my mind it is more like an extra Thanksgiving Day with special food and time for the family. Enjoy and.....don't forget to breathe.

[FarCenter]

6. If you are a Christian, go to service on 12/24-25: Otherwise ignore all the crap

All the rest of the BS was invented by merchants in the mid 1800s.

[L0oniX]

19. A real believer wouldn't attend such a deceptive service. Real believers actually read the bible...

and there is no yearly holy day assigned to His birth. There's no record of Him saying such or any of His followers ever attending a service. Further more there weren't any wise men at the nativity seen ...they came days later.

[knitter4democracy]

53. Months, actually.

They came quite a bit later.

As for the early church celebrating Christmas, they did. They just did in the spring, when it really is, and it was moved when the Church decided to set up the Church annual calendar, having us walk through all the important parts of the faith in a yearly cycle. Jesus's birth, baptism, death, and resurrection were all in the spring, which made the calendar heavy in that area and light in the rest, so they moved the celebration of his birth to the time of a pagan holiday they wanted to replace (and it was a time of year when thinking about new life makes sense--at the darkest time of the year--and it was already in the local pagan practices). Pascha was kept in the spring, putting Great Lent at a time when people were eating less anyway, waiting for the new foodstuffs of spring. His baptism was put after Christmas but before Great Lent as part of the preparation. All the other feasts were sprinkled around as well, and each season has a theme with its set patterns of feasts and fasts.

There are those of us who say real believers actually read the Bible and learn the tradition that created the Bible as well. The Bible is part of Tradition and is a product of the Church.

[L0oniX]

82. There is no biblical record or mandate of a yearly christmas.

[knitter4democracy]

89. Nope, but the Bible didn't exist for the first three hundred years.

You have to go back before it was put together to find accounts of Christians celebrating the different feasts.

[L0oniX]

94. Good luck with that. The bible also condemns taking the traditions of men as law.

I also do not accept the console of Nicea and Constantine for trying to gain more control and power over the non-believers by his corrupt mixing of so called good and bad via Easter(Ishtar the fertilization godess) and christmas (Saturnella).

[knitter4democracy]

101. We're going to have to agree to disagree, then.

I like knowing the Woman at the Well's real name (St. Photini--we know what happened to her later, her kids' names, and that she and her children were all eventually martyred for the faith as missionaries) and the names of some of the women apostles (the larger group the 12 disciples helped manage, the ones sent out). I like knowing the rest of the story the male writers of the Gospels left out as well as the stories of the early believers and saints. I believe they are guideposts along the way to help me when my faith is weak and I'm having trouble even with praying.

As an Eastern Orthodox Christian, I believe in the Seven Ecumenical Councils and the Creed that came out of them (without the later addition the Catholics put in that the West uses). I also believe that the Gospel always incorporates the culture it finds itself in and that it's a sign of how powerful the Gospel really is. All forms of Christianity today are mixes of "good" and "bad", of the Gospels and the surrounding, dominant culture.

[L0oniX]

103. IMO your faith should not be co-dependant on people but should be sustained by the word...

especially Mathew, Mark, Luke and John and about half of Acts. If what you believe doesn't fit with those books then you may not have a good understanding. The rest books all seems to get used by men to set them selves apart from the others doctrinally ...all claiming to have the inside track on the truth. Lots of them use "the bible is still being written" doctrine. Others mix the old and new covenants to suit their control over the patrons which is "putting new wine into old wine skins. I've had enough of doctrines of men. I have my own which comes from actually reading the bible without some preacher or church group telling me how to interpret it. I depend on God to give me the understanding. I will not follow men. The Holy Spirit will lead you into all understanding. Trusting men for the truth ...IMO not a good thing to do. Look where it got us with our government.

[knitter4democracy]

104. You are following men, though.

Men wrote the Gospels, men chose which of the Gospels available at the time would be considered canonical, and men have translated it for you to be able to read. In fact, our oldest copies of the Gospels are not the originals but a few hundred years old after they were written. Considering men hand-copied them repeatedly over the course of centuries, it's little wonder that there entire sections, let alone shorter phrases and sentences, that we consider canonical that do not exist in the oldest versions and vice versa.

I do believe that God has had a hand in the process, but for you to say that you don't put your trust in men is disingenuous. You are trusting men to have gotten every single copy and every single step right over the course of two thousand years. Humans are fallible. God didn't chuck the four Gospels down from Heaven--they were written by men.

[L0oniX]

106. King James Bible: But in vain they do worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men.

Twist what I'd said anyway you want but I think that bible quote stands as the truth.

[Sherman A1]

8. Good for you

I work in Retail (grocery) and cannot stand the Christmas music. Fortunately working in the backroom as Receiver I don't have to listen to it as they don't want to waste it on that area. They also don't waste too much heat or any a/c but that's another issue.

There was a soft rock radio station here in town last year that started a full schedule of Christmas Music on 11/1. I politely emailed them and told them I would again listen to them after the first of January. A little in the mix is fine, building up to Christmas is understandable, but I won't put up with 2 solid months of the crap. That is when I bought my iPod and have never looked back, just hook it up to the car radio and I'm good.

[patrice]

31. I download Thom Hartmann; last week he interviewd Chris Hedges! Much, Much! better than Xmas muzak.

[barbtries]

85. there's a station in NC

i used to listen to...i think they started after thanksgiving. i never let them know why i quit listening though.

[Sherman A1]

97. I think you should tell them why you quit

listening to their station. Probably won't make a difference in the long run, but a short email doesn't take too long.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Skidmore]

22. Biting my tongue here, but no it is not self-inflicted.

About five years ago, I lost my job at the same time I was diagnosed with cancer. I'm on the downward slope of a century, but I went back to school after I had recuperated my health a bit and spent 18 months working on a certification in something new. In those 5 years, I have only been able to find work once as a temp for 9 months. My husband continues to work well past retirement age so we would be able to hold onto a good health insurance plan that covers the annual tests I need to get my prescriptions. We have been thrifty and debt free for most of our lives but as these years are passing we are being squeezed more and more. We do not live nor have we ever lived extravagant lives, even when the kids were not adults. We have worked hard for the little that we have.
It is becoming harder to not feel stressed by the current economy.

I trust you live well or just don't give a tinker's damn about anything beyond yourself. I know that if I am experiencing this, many others are too. And that we are being called upon to sacrifice more so that those who tanked this economy can prosper. Not certain where or why the snarkiness from you, but it this is a very real concern to me and to others.

[BoneDaddy]

38. No, I just find

people often choose to draw attention to the drama of their lives and tend to identify themselves and live in their wounds as a way to get attention. Do you realize you listed above your shopping list of problems as if to insulate yourself from any criticism? I see that dynamic all day and it doesn't work on me.

I would be embarassed to admit that Christmas music caused an anxiety attack. You don't seem phased by it and it gives you an opportunity to tie that into a diatribe about your personal views about the holidays. When called on it, I get your personal history that sets the stage as "poor you" and "me the bad guy who shouldn't have picked on poor you."

People access power in many ways in life. One of them is the victim/martyr. It is a way for you to gather sympathy, energy and attention from others and when called on it, it becomes a safe place to retreat to. I find it to be a cop out.

This really isn't personal. It is probably an accumulation of reading so many whining posts by Duers about the holidays, all the self imposed and created problems and the hand wringing that goes along with it. Christmas is a commercial act, get used to it as it probably will not change anytime soon. Why? with all your health problems would you choose to get so worked up? I don't get it. You must have mentioned how "sick" you were at least 5-6 times, and you wonder why you are sick.

Edited: Wow, and you complained about my post too. How fitting.

[Ikonoklast]

40. You are completely lacking in empathy.

You are also young.


Time is the avenger.

[BoneDaddy]

86. Are you being agist?

I am middle aged fyi and old enough to reoognize people who hide behind behind their wounds and who use it as a shield. If you notice how many people came to her rescue and how she allowed it rather than address me herself.

So many people in DU do this. Once confronted or called on something they put out there, they recite a litany of bad experiences, illness or some other difficulty to protect themselves. It is an epidemic in DU. Everybody has a reason why they cannot access power and people define themselves by their of powerlessness. It is, in fact, a way access power, sadly.

I have plenty of empathy, but also a pretty good bullshit meter.

[Cal Carpenter]

41. The opposite of what you say is happening here

The poster is using their own life to draw attention to the systemic economic troubles that many, if not most, Americans are facing right now. It's not a 'poor me' post by any means like you imply.

It isn't personal, you are right. The meat of the OP is about economic injustice. The personal story, however, makes the issue easier to relate to.

[BoneDaddy]

88. Although not personal

as I do not know he OP, it is the drama queen fashion in which it was delivered that I reacted to. I am all for pointing out economic injustice but I find the story of Christmas music tied to her beliefs about Christmas corporatism causing an anxiety attack to be tremendously overdramatic and attention seeking.

The level of handwringing and gnashing of teeth is often so unnecessary. Especially for someone who is apparently so sick, why would you allow yourself to get so worked up about it? Take care of yourself and chill out. I don't find it to be about drawing attention to injustice as much as it is a personal "look at me" post. Like so many people who call out conservatives it is just some narcissistic form of self congratulation.

[whathehell]

74. Ikonoclast is correct...

You are probably young and lacking experience.\

You do, in any case, lack empathy...and frankly, my dear, that sucks.

[BoneDaddy]

90. I am neither young or lacking experience

I just do not find a value in making oneself "sick" over something we have little control over. The world is what is is and ultimately we have only two choices: One: to become distraught, overstressed and despondent. the other is to recognize what is, do what we can and let go of what we do not have control over. I believe in social justice but not at my personal health or well being. I see so many people drive themselves into depression, powerlessness and pain by what they believe. I think it is entirely possible to be a force for social and economic justice and still maintain a level of peace. DU is filled with people who thrive on the negative, define themselves by ideals that make themselves sick and powerless. Do not succumb to such powers as they will not change due to our level of distress, yet so many define themselves by this drama and, in turn, cause harm to themselves.


We are co-creators of our experiences and our beliefs are the basis on how we think, feel and ultimately behave. It is time to disconnect from that which causes us harm and do what we can and rest assured that we have done our best. Stressing, acting like we are so noble and self sacrificing does really nothing other than make ourselves upset and diconcerted. Be well

[patrice]

36. Answer??? wow . . . You're kidding, right?

[BoneDaddy]

39. Give me a break

you couldn't see through that?

[patrice]

42. Sorry, I should have taken your avatar into the equation. nt

[BoneDaddy]

87. Please elaborate

you are quit cryptic. My enjoyment of Pink Floyd means? what?

[BoneDaddy]

95. I thought as much

You would engage in a character assasination that you would accuse me of doing, funny how that works.

[benddem]

11. When I lived in Saudi Arabia

I found one thing to like...NO Endless Christmas carols. I love those songs because of choir I know all the words, but the unrelenting commercialization of them is obnoxious. Last Sunday the paper was so heavy I could barely lift it. This is sick. I feel so bad for the unemployed this is a terrible time to have constant reminders.

[HarveyDarkey]

54. The ad sections are heavy

The Help Wanted sections are thin.

[blm]

12. Hear you loud and clear.

.

[Dreamer Tatum]

13. Xanax. Does wonders. nt

[Glimmer of Hope]

28. I agree. If you can afford the generic version go for it.

[AnArmyVeteran]

35. It's great for the Christmas season.

[Ginto]

14. Waking up a lot at 6AM to "I Got You Babe" by Sonny and Cher? nt

[slackmaster]

30. LOL! One of the best movies EVAR!

:rofl:

[Bluerthanblue]

16. I'm glad you listened to your body- and that you walked out.

I hope you can find some joy, comfort and peace at "Christmas". It hasn't been about 'gifts' or 'stuff' for our family for the last several years. And that has helped us to focus more on what really matters. Things that can't be purchased or packaged or prostituted for profit.


:grouphug:
wishing you hope, peace, comfort
blu

[gkhouston]

18. Years ago, my family decided not to exchange presents within the family. Best

thing we ever did. We still did the Christmas baking and listened to the Christmas music we liked, at a time and volume when we wanted to hear it, but the amount of Christmas shopping we did dropped to almost nothing, once we stopped shopping for each other and we didn't miss having presents under the tree. We were all adults then, and as the grandkids arrived, we pooled the list of the little ones' needs and wants and collectively took care of the kids so they got some nice things and we still had less stress and expense. It's been great.

[L0oniX]

21. The only thing worse would be having Fux on their tvs.

[snooper2]

24. I thought you were going to say

because it was time to go home :P

[uppityperson]

26. Christmas is not about supporting the economy by shopping, unless you worship the Almighty God of th

Dollar.

Unfortunately that is the biggest worshiping going on. It is ok to enjoy the music, enjoy the time of year when the sun is lessening, when people are turning inward, to then have that reverse and the cycle go on.

Keep the light inside since it is not in the sky and no, you do not have to sacrifice at the altar of The Almighty Dollar.

[LeftinOH]

27. Try working in a (big) store during the holidays- you eventually memorize

each song and even the song order on the piped-in "playlist". It's been many years since I worked in that environment, and I still can't get Andy Williams out of my head. Yes, Andy Williams :puke:

[Fla Dem]

32. Wow your comments are powerful. I could physically feel your anger, anxiety and frustration.

This is a powerful message to send to your congress person, senator and most of all, the President. They need to hear more from people like you.

[obxhead]

34. I had nearly the same thing happen yesterday in the bookstore.

I typically think of bookstores as a place for mellow sounds and moods. Yesterday while standing in line the xmas music was blasting so loud I set my small purchase on a shelf and just walked out.

Fuck it, everyone is getting handmade gifts or cash this year. I'm not going through it.

[LuckyLib]

46. I do that often. But I make a point of telling someone there, "How do you stand the music?"

It's my own small campaign to reduce the amazing music pollution in public places. Vote with my feet.

[superduperfarleft]

50. The person you're telling is probably more irritated by it than you.

Of course, they've not only heard the same tape a thousand different times, they have to put up with the complainers (who seem to think the guy shelving books somehow has control over the crap that they are forced to play) on top of the inevitable rudeness and lack of consideration (moreso than usual) that seems to get into people this time of year.

[LuckyLib]

65. Actually almost to a person they respond "I don't even hear it anymore."

It adds to everyone's stress level. Not just during the holidays, but all year long.

[pansypoo53219]

37. i haven't done much shopping in a decade.

i discovered the ultimate recycling resale shopping when i discovered estate sales. hell, i don't even antique shop anymore. all the shit you buy now is worth nothing.

[Vickers]

43. I've walked out of stores when a Supertramp song starts. n/t

[druidity33]

71. Journey does that to me. nt.

[BoneDaddy]

96. really?

How easy we give our power away

[SOS]

44. "Turn on, tune in, drop out"

Good advice in 1966 and in 2010.

[NoNothing]

45. A donation has been made in your name

To the Human Fund.

[badgerpup]

47. Addressing only the 'noise' issue...

:hi:
One of the legacies from my car accident way back when is an increased sensitivity to loud noise. If a decibel level is too high or too constant it is actually painful (as well as highly stressful) for me to be exposed to it.

In my Satchel Of Doom^TM (read: purse) I carry a little box with a couple pairs of earplugs in it. You can get earplugs in varying degrees of what they block. These buffer loud/constant noise but permit me to hear when people are speaking to me (I do have to really pay attention).

They also permit me to deal with the loud ambient noise environments of people having 'fun' (e.g., go to a karaoke bar with my best friend) without being reduced to tears and having to bail after 3 minutes. :blush:

You might want to think about carrying earplugs too...I've found them extremely useful over the years. :thumbsup:

[Tesha]

48. The reason for the season...

which you so rightly stated - shouldn't be giving money to filthy rich corporations who horde it or send it overseas.

I just received 2 packages of gifts I ordered for my adult daughters from real American companies - Cabot Cheese which is a cooperative and King Arthur Flour which is employee owned. It felt like Christmas...

[mrs_p]

49. I'm with you

We saved up for one present for my sister -- which actually will double as her birthday present. Other than that, we have decided to just enjoy each other and spend time with friends sans gift exchanges.

[Donnachaidh]

52. our brakes already put a big hole in Xmas

Luckily we have a mechanic who fixed them for a third of what pep boys or others would have charged.

I'm knitting things this year, and will spend on my son, but otherwise this year is going to be tight. Not as tight as last year (knock wood) - that was when we were foodbanking and looking for charities to pay our utilities.

We know the pain.

[Name removed]

55. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

56. Deleted message

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[lonestarnot]

57. K & R!

[Name removed]

58. Deleted message

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[Swamp Rat]

59. .

:hug:

[Name removed]

60. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[nadinbrzezinski]

64. We sent money to mother in law and sister in law

We also sent money to the elderly widow of the man who'se family hid my dad and his family during the holocaust. We bought some cookies for the maintainance staff and others at the condo we live...that's it.

Oh and never get Hanukah gifts but got my sis a gluten free cook book. She'll never buy it for herself and could use it.

But truth be told our holiday budget is pretty much...we prefer to give money in this economy. We know people can use it..and Hanukah is not a gigging holiday anyway...Christmas wasn't either.

[the redcoat]

66. I think a better approach would be

to try to find American/union made products.

I understand your mindset/reasoning, though. And I absolutely hate Christmas music.

This site is a pretty thorough directory of US product websites
http://www.americansworking.com/

[bluestate10]

100. That's too sensible. :-))) nt

[BrklynLiberal]

67. kick & rec Not buying any gifts this year..

[Obamanaut]

68. FYI. That sort of music is common in stores this time of year, and has

been for quite some time.

If it is that irritating, next year you might consider avoiding stores after Halloween, because that very music you find irritating today will be there again.

Based on the first sentence of the post, it was the music. Everything else was just decoration.

[Skidmore]

69. You didn't really read to understand, did you?

[Obamanaut]

72. I understood you walked out of a store because the music made you

anxious. You stated that in the opening sentence. The rest, window dressing.

[tsuki]

73. Yes, I do. It started a couple of years ago with vertigo and shortness

of breath. New rules, one gift per person (two if a used book) and homemade jams and pickles to friends, no huge meal and BS. It is now a day of rest for us.

[whathehell]

77. Get a little life experience before you start in with the ill-informed snark, will you?

This person probably experienced a panic attack.....Look it up.

[lunatica]

75. You're taking a big step in becoming independent and you'll feel better for it

I haven't done Holidays for 15 years. It's liberating in ways you will feel soon. Liberating from the crass commercialization that this country has become. Liberating from the anxiety of feeling obligated to buy things, and liberating from the slavish following of 'traditions' that are really thinly disguised attempts to separate you from your money to make corporations richer.

I too am forced to pinch pennies. One side effect has been to realize how much better I feel about how I use money.

[whathehell]

76. I empathize completely....

and, judging by my own experience and your description, I'd say you might have had a panic attack.

I was a free spirit in my young years..I was adventurous, optimistic, could go anywhere, felt little fear or anxiety...As I got older, the problems began mounting..and I started experiencing panic attacks and bouts of serious depression which restricted my movements and caused all sorts of mayhem in my life....I did finally straighten it out, but it took awhile...and this, I might add, was before the economy and the political outlook appeared as it does today.

Do what makes YOU comfortable, and relax.

I send hugs and good thoughts to you.:hug:

[handmade34]

78. I applaud you

:applause: I am with you 100%... I will never go out of my way to support those of much better means than myself

about 12 years ago my oldest son suggested that if we are giving presents in the spirit of Christmas, then it should take place on January 6th (the Epiphany)... then as we discussed the season we decided that present giving at Christmastime was not really helpful or necessary for anyone. I still make my rum balls!, the kids still love eggnog and a tree in the house and we get together if we can to share a book or favorite movie. Wow, what an "epiphany" that was... life is much, much better at this time of year. I don't know why it took so long to figure this out.

We all really just want recognition, respect and some good cheer from each other anyways. The gifts happen now anytime someone really needs something or just for fun, when we decide to give them...

[tigereye]

79. well, your resistance to spending makes perfect sense -

the economy is in crappy shape and you would think that people with money, companies, what have you, would want to help others and not be holding on to it all. It really has never made any sense to me that economists, the market, investors, etc., can't see the link between people not having jobs, companies not hiring and laying folks off, people not having money to spend or concerned about loss of home or income, and then the bizarre pressure of feeding the economic engine when there is no money to spend on it. And then the market goes up while Congress dithers about extending unemployment benefits and corporate profits for the third quarter are extremely high. It's wacky. I really think that the market and investors should be cut out of the equation entirely. The market seems to hate workers or the idea of "real people."



It's truly bizarre. :crazy:



:hug: for you.

[ellie]

80. My family has not

exchanged presents in years. There are just too many of us and everyone is strapped for cash. We get together and have a meal and enjoy spending time together and then call it done. Christmas is for little kids anyway, and there are no little kids in my family. My husband and I don't even exchange presents.

[femrap]

81. In this past year, I have

begun to hate going to the grocery store. I'm civil. I say, 'Please, Thank you, and Excuse me.' It's rare that I run into someone who acknowledges this.

And driving to the store...is it just here in Dumfukistan (formerly known as Ohio) that people just pull out in front of you so you have to hit the brakes hard? Or drive across a parking lot like they own it?

Yesterday, this dude in his bright canary yellow pick-up truck is crossing the grocery store's parking lot against traffic. He pulls right in front of me (while talking on the phone) and takes the parking place I was headed for. So I go around and find another on the other side. I had honked my horn at him when he drove in front of me.

I get out of the car and he tells me I'm an asshole! So we walked into the store cursing each other the entire way. He told me he was going to call the police because I harassed him. This man is old, just like me. But damned if this bully was going to intimidate me.

He went back and got my license plate # and left.

I knitted scarves this year...too bad I had to buy the yarn, but at least I converted it into something. That's my Xmas gifts. It's cold in Dumfukistan.

I know what you mean about the anxiety. Sometimes, my head fills with, 'I've got to get out of here. I've got to get out of here.' So I just take deep breaths and calm myself.

I always try to shop on Tuesday and Wednesday....the days of the least people/crazies out there.

I just want to :hide:

We've totally lost the true meaning of the Holiday Season. Take care, Skidmore.

[barbtries]

83. me too

i'm buying gifts for my 3 grandchildren and donating to Justice for Murdered Children JFMC.org for the big kids.

[barbtries]

84. also:

breath. i'm sorry you are so stressed. i personally am constantly on the verge of just tuning out these days. otherwise the news seems to be leading me inexorably to despair and there's not a goddamn thing i can do to stop it. but every day here i am again, and there i am, writing to the president, to my congress people, to the local city council, blah blah blah.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

92. Deleted message

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[Township75]

93. So you did NOT walk out of the store bc of the music as you posted....

you walked out because of this:
"I'm sick of being told I have to shop to support an economy which doesn't support us adequately. I'm sick of being told that our lives are not worth the effort of extremely wealthy people who benefit from our labor and spending to invest in our infrastructure and in jobs. I'm sick of hearing about jittery millionaires and billionaires who won't invest because they don't know what their tax rates will be for the next year. I'm sick of being extorted. "

CAn't blame you. Though loud music does suck! I can't stand some shops that cater to young people and think they have to blast the music...i would be fine with silence.

[bluestate10]

98. Go to your browser. Type in "Made in USA Products".

There are some wonderful companies out there that absolutely REFUSE to manufacture anywhere but on the mainland USA. My friend, will you help them make that trend stronger by looking up and buying their products, or will you continue to panic while things get worse?

[delightfulstar]

102. My day job is in retail...

And you wouldn't believe how many people are stretching every dollar they can. The whole "Holiday Rush" starts earlier and earlier every year, and it gets really annoying to see trees up, next to swimsuits and school supplies. We all need to slow down and spend this time with those we cherish, whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Solstice, or any other day that is important to your personal beliefs. We focus on the kids in my family, and on helping people who are less fortunate.

[FrancisTreptoe]

105. I'm Sorry but you are overreacting

Christmas shopping is about buying for those you love and care about it, what is wrong with that? Lets face it everything we do in life is exploited and profited off of, so you probably should just resort to living in a log cabin in the canadian shield with that mentality.