by Oxpictus

Created on: December 28, 2008

As we all know too well, the national economy is circling the drain. Previously, all of our country has been on a commercialized high. We bought every new thing that came along, and in every color it came in. Until now, the unspoken motto was, "I want it all, and I want it NOW!" Each Christmas saw bigger, better, more excessive and more expensive toys for both children and adults. Christmas was a time of excess. All stops were pulled and charge cards were maxed out during the Christmas frenzy. Kids had toys they outgrew, before they even had a chance to use them. Unworn Christmas sweaters were sent to a charity, even before the tags had been removed. Yet, we still bought more and more.

Although you still see Christmas decorations in the stores before Halloween, and you still get requests for Christmas pledges from charities that you have never heard of, decreased sales and the economic bad news in the media has had a sobering effect. No longer are gifts piled so high it is hard to see the Christmas tree; retail establishments are not seeing the mass buying frenzy that they have enjoyed for the last decade. People are choosing gifts for practicality and quality; the "disposable" gift has come to the end of it's impractical lifetime.

This year, retailers have had a big wake-up call. Their days of the excessive consumer is gone. The days of buying things just because they are "cute" are over. The days of giving children every gadget they see on TV are, thankfully, gone. This is now the time for sensible and prudent purchases, carefully chosen in moderation by people who keep track of the balance on the charge cards, who are keeping to a budget that does not include paying for Christmas gifts for all of the following year.

I see more moderate, thoughtful retailers offering discounts on quality merchandise, and for Internet shoppers, free shipping. I see sensible lay-away plans, with retailers giving up merchandise space for those pre-paid gifts that are being bought and paid for before they are picked up by the customer. I believe retailers understand that customers do not have the funds to buy the "bling" and excessive unnecessary gifts, as they had in the past. They see that if they do not offer a good value at a reasonable price, customers will go elsewhere, or go without, for that particular item.

I believe the days of a "too commercialized Christmas" is now at an end.

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