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REFLECTIONS: ZERO SHOPPING DAYS TIL CHRISTMAS

How times have changed when it comes to Christmas shopping! We often begin our shopping plans even before Thanksgiving, seeing signs of Christmas competing for our attention with Halloween costumes and candy "give aways".

But I remember a Christmas when I discovered that all of my shopping days had gotten away from me, and I would like to share that story with you.

It was in 1948. My mother and I had moved from Savannah, Georgia, USA, to Jacksonville, Florida. She had just married my step father and we rented a small bungalow in North Jacksonville. That summer I got a job working in a grocery store on the weekends and my step father began working as a 7 up drink delivery man. I helped him on his truck during the week.

That fall I began high school and my step father was able to borrow some money from his mother and he purchased the first quick car wash facility that we had ever seen. The concept of quick car washing was new at the time. The "Jiffy Car Wash" consisted of a home made blower with duct work arms that engulfed the car like a giant octopus.

The car wash staff consisted of my step father who managed, my mother who took the money, and myself, who, after school and on week ends, vacuumed the cars and kept them pulled up in the line of operation. I learned to drive in the process. In addition we kept three or four stout men who did the actual washing and drying.

The price of a car wash was $1.00, and we were barely able to meet expenses during the week. Our profit was made if and when we had a fair weather Saturday and Sunday. If it rained either day we would just hope for a better week end next week.

Holidays were usually an extra help to the company pocket book, and this first Christmas we were hoping to "get a little bit ahead". All of our energy was put into getting the workers committed to being there on Christmas Eve, which that year was Saturday, and in hoping that the weather would hold up. If all went well we would show a little profit for the year and pay off a few bills.

But in the hustle and bustle of preparing for our big car wash week end, we had given absolutely no thought to Christmas shopping. Now, I know that is hard for you to imagine in this day and time, but we had no television, we did not take the newspaper and so Christmas advertising was just not a big item in our lives.

So, at the end of Christmas Eve, we happily paid off the work crew and found that we had about $100 profit. It had been

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