Category Archives: The Excessmas Idea

USA Today has an article today that’s headed “Just Say No to Christmas?” in the online version. The article is clueless about how millions of people the world over celebrate Christmas. Here’s the source of the problem: The writer seems to … Continue reading →

There are a lot of complaints about how Black Friday is creeping into Thanksgiving. I agree it’s a shame that store employees can’t even have all of Thanksgiving off — because of having to come in for midnight or 10 … Continue reading →

Have you heard of the term “Christmas Creep”? It refers to the ever-earlier kickoff of Christmas sales promotions — from early fall to late summer and even sooner in the year. Here’s an example: a flier from Pier 1 in … Continue reading →

Never too late It’s never too late to have a more meaningful, less materialistic celebration of Christmas! Here are some tips on how to make the holiday a better time for you and those you love. You’ll have a better … Continue reading →

Every sport has an off-season, when competition is suspended and athletes get ready for the next year. In the same way, from January to the end of summer we are spared “Christmas” advertisements. This is a great time to get … Continue reading →

In a word, yes. In other connections, “Black” in conjunction with a day denotes something sad or even tragic. For example, Black Monday of 1987 was a big stock market loss. Of course, the “Black” in “Black Friday” refers to … Continue reading →

The forecasts this year are for greater holiday season sales — but the amount of holiday happiness can be quite unconnected from retail sales. Here’s an example of what they’re saying. Now I don’t blame business reporters for doing their … Continue reading →

Alternatives for Simpler Living has a dandy list here, starting with: “1.  Plan ahead. Instead of going on auto-pilot the day after Thanksgiving, hold a family meeting to decide what the group really wants to do and who’s going to … Continue reading →

There is no connection between the strength of retail sales and the joy of Christmas. You can have a joyous Christmas in the worst of times; you can have a bad one in boom times. Notice how this article reflects … Continue reading →