Celebrity Smack-Down: Santa vs. Scrooge
I love the holidays. I love decorating, baking, shopping, wrapping. But I happen to work in what is possibly the most congested area in the world during this joyous season. I work a block away from Macy's in New York City.
In addition to the throngs of tourists and commuters who surround me on a daily basis, now I have to contend with the masses that come to admire the festive window scenes that Macy's displays from Thanksgiving thru to the New Year. I am all for viewing these magnificent displays. But where has the holiday spirit disappeared to? I know it's still out there somewhere... for I see many a person donning their santa hats (a phenomenon that I don't quite understand) proudly on the streets of the city.
But when I am trying to get past Macy's to go to the only decent deli in the area during my lunch break, and I have RUDE RUDE people with 1,000,000 shopping bags pushing past me or oblivious people who are so enthralled with the window puppetry that they stand in the middle of the block with their mouths open instead of moving aside so that pedestrian traffic can flow, I get a little scrooge-ish myself. I'm surprised there are not more fist-fights breaking out in this transportation hub/tourist destination that is my work neighborhood. I am waiting to see the street vendor tangle with the Salvation Army bell-ringer for getting too close to his turf. For the man in his proud santa hat to smash a bag filled with gifts to pieces because somebody cut him off. It would make for an exciting lunch break.
But since that doesn't happen, maybe the holiday spirit is still alive and well and it takes being in a sea of people to realize that we are really all the same. We all want to get to where we're going. We want to enjoy the sights around us. We want people to say "excuse me" and "thank you" and to hold the door for us. And so the next time somebody who has bargain tunnel-vision bumps me hard in the shoulder because of it, I will just look at the person next to me, shrug, smile and say "tis the season."
In addition to the throngs of tourists and commuters who surround me on a daily basis, now I have to contend with the masses that come to admire the festive window scenes that Macy's displays from Thanksgiving thru to the New Year. I am all for viewing these magnificent displays. But where has the holiday spirit disappeared to? I know it's still out there somewhere... for I see many a person donning their santa hats (a phenomenon that I don't quite understand) proudly on the streets of the city.
But when I am trying to get past Macy's to go to the only decent deli in the area during my lunch break, and I have RUDE RUDE people with 1,000,000 shopping bags pushing past me or oblivious people who are so enthralled with the window puppetry that they stand in the middle of the block with their mouths open instead of moving aside so that pedestrian traffic can flow, I get a little scrooge-ish myself. I'm surprised there are not more fist-fights breaking out in this transportation hub/tourist destination that is my work neighborhood. I am waiting to see the street vendor tangle with the Salvation Army bell-ringer for getting too close to his turf. For the man in his proud santa hat to smash a bag filled with gifts to pieces because somebody cut him off. It would make for an exciting lunch break.
But since that doesn't happen, maybe the holiday spirit is still alive and well and it takes being in a sea of people to realize that we are really all the same. We all want to get to where we're going. We want to enjoy the sights around us. We want people to say "excuse me" and "thank you" and to hold the door for us. And so the next time somebody who has bargain tunnel-vision bumps me hard in the shoulder because of it, I will just look at the person next to me, shrug, smile and say "tis the season."
posted by Tracy at 12:47 PM
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