You’ve probably read or heard according to the latest estimates Americans spent $12.1 billion dollars on Halloween this year. That’s right $12.1 billion…on Halloween. I suppose the big winners were retailers, candy manufacturers, and the American Dental Association. That is a mind-boggling statistic. Let me say it again - $12.1 billion.
$12.1 billion dollars spent on candy, costumes, parties, and decorations celebrating ghosts, goblins, skeletons, witches, werewolves, black cats and anything else darkness can conger up. And for all practical purposes it’s all over in a day. Except, of course, for all the candy which shall be sorted through, eaten, or thrown away. What a way to usher in the Holiday Season!
When I was a young man, an older friend (I thought he was old. He was probably no more than 50.) said to me, “Son, you think time passes quickly now, just wait until you get my age!” I should have taken his words more seriously.
What I have found is with each passing year time indeed seems to accelerate. For me this past October was a blur. Surely, November will not pass so quickly. By the time most of my readers read this column Thanksgiving will be less than 2 weeks away. Christmas will be right on its heels. Best we take a deep breath and make some plans.
There’s a not-so-old saying that goes like this: “If you are failing to plan, you’re planning to fail.”
I’m big on making Thanksgiving lists. Every year I encourage my friends and acquaintances to start a list well before Thanksgiving Day arrives. I suggest a list numbered 1 through 25 – a list of the things for which you are most thankful. This simple exercise will broaden your mind and expand your heart. Best you start on your list early. As the old folks use to say, “Thanksgiving Day will be here before you know it!”
Plan a few short visits this Holiday season. Go see someone who might be lonely. You don’t have to stay long. You don’t even have to take a gift. Your presence will be the present. And here’s a thought. Should you have lots of food left over after Thanksgiving dinner with family, load up a plate of food and share it with someone who has no family with whom to celebrate. When you get together with family, don’t forget to talk to the kids. Ask lots of questions. Kids are people, too.
When I was a kid our family celebrated Christmas on the Sunday after Christmas with my maternal grandmother’s family. It was a family group we only saw once each year. Every year my great-uncle Jack interviewed me. He always took the initiative. Sometime during the day, he would track me down for conversation. And every year he would refer to things we talked about the year before. I was some impressed by the interest he took in me. Over six decades have passed and I still remember.
If you start now, you have plenty of time to be creative in your gift giving. Put some thought into it. You’ve heard it said, “It’s the thought that counts.” It is the same way with choosing gifts. If you have to spend extra money to make a memory, do it. Thoughtful gift givers have learned the difference between trinkets and treasures.
And finally, this Holiday season stash an extra $5 or $10 or $20 or more in your purse or wallet and be on the lookout for persons to whom you might give it. If you look for the opportunity, it will present itself.
Copyright 2023 by Jack McCall
