Happy Holidays! Cash or charge?

Business? Business? Ahhh! My business. Mercy was my business! Charity, benevolence, kindness…love. Have mercy, the beauty of all life were all my business! The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!
        -- Marley’s Ghost
        “A Christmas Carol”

I awakened at about 1 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day. I’m not a go-for-broke celebrator of holidays, but I took note of the fact that, being in the eastern time zone, I was probably one of the first of my circle of family and friends to take note that the holiday had begun.

When I reached over to the clock-radio and punched “snooze,” the first sound I heard on Thanksgiving Day was a Christmas song.

After two or three more samples from among what must be thousands of similar seasonal offerings, the announcer explained that the station had just begun a non-stop presentation of Christmas music – to continue 24 hours each day for the succeeding 33 days.

Excess. It’s part of the American experience. But during this interval between two days that celebrate consumption there seems to be no limits.

Americans are expected to spend nearly half a trillion dollars this holiday season, doing their part to boost the economy by splurging on presents for loved ones and themselves, according to ABC News.

Popular sayings from the past that call for joy, peace and good will have been drowned out by the ringing (or beeping, in the modern era) of cash registers – beginning on a day now referred to popularly as “Black Friday.” How festive!

There’s little to be said for poverty. But it does give one a pretty clear sense of the difference between what we need and what we want. The term “marginal propensity to consume” has little meaning for poor folks who live – if only barely staying alive – below the margins.

The barrage of persuasive messages is for the rest of us, the American majority with discretionary income in excess of necessity. Thousands of vendors are seeking a slice of that half trillion. WalMart wants a big slice and the furniture store downtown will be happy with a tiny one; but the all fill the season with a single message: Spend!

I enjoy the music and other entertainments. And I appreciate the messages of love and hope that are much in evidence, but too often as part of a sales pitch for my taste.

Traditions and pageantry create joyful resonations within my being. I am moved by the powerful ideas.

But I’m also just cynical enough to attach crass motives to much of what’s said and done. I am troubled – O.K., angered – by sales pitches that make it clear to consumers that if they really want to demonstrate their love, they’ll buy more.

There’s an off-the-wall fellow out there making his point in a fashion that many might find irreverent or worse. Asking “What would Jesus buy?” this guy is challenging consumers to put less emphasis on material aspects of the holidays and to get more in touch with the underlying ideas.

Others echo this sentiment – perhaps less flamboyantly. But how much impact can low-budget messengers hope to generate using the internet and other inexpensive means. Can they compete with commercial interests, including the “mainstream media”?

This just in…

Early results indicate that Black Friday sales are up this year. Retailers are far from complacent, though as other economic signals seem less favorable. Shall we all do our part and make this year’s Christmas the best ever?

Ka-CHING.