RETAILOBSERVER.COM DECEMBER 2017
6
Moe Lastfogel
moe@retailobserver.com
Moe's Musings Views
Joyous holidays to you and your families,
W
ell, we've made it through Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber
Monday— and Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas and New Year's are
yet to come. The holidays can bring hope, joy, stress, and the inevitable
shopping credit card debt.
Holiday shopping can be a crazy scene; to be uprooted from family,
food and football, just to stand in lines longer than those at Disneyland to
get that incredible advertised deal. Yes, the holiday spirit is in the air—but
is this what the holidays have come to?
I hope we haven't forgotten the true reason of the season. It's time to ask
ourselves, "What is the true meaning of our holidays?" We personally
carry on our holiday traditions through storytelling and rituals that bind us
together and create family traditions that we pass on to the next generation.
We celebrate our cultural history. While growing up, I understood the
reasons we celebrated and what the true history of the celebration was.
Today, many seem to celebrate Easter and Christmas on a level that has
no relevance to their true meanings.
What is a Holy Day and what is a Hallmark holiday? Sure, retail sales go
up and the economy flourishes, but what was the original intent of the
remembrance? I was raised with the belief that giving was more important
than receiving. The act of giving should be an expression of the heart as
opposed to the need to buy an obligatory gift. We took care in making sure
we handled ourselves in a courteous manner and would never do harm to
anyone or anything (except the Turkey) in creating our holiday atmosphere.
If you couldn't afford to give gifts, you made them. If you couldn't afford the
big dinner, you came together potluck style. Everyone joined together and
celebrated the true meaning of the holiday.
It's time to get back to basics. Let's talk about family and bringing back
the values that make a difference in the world by starting at home with the
ones you love. Again, this isn't about the religion or the holiday, it's about
the truths and teachings. They have been held sacred in the past; let's
keep our traditions rich and meaningful for the future.
GETTING BACK TO
HOLIDAY BASICS
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