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Copyright 2011 by Bradley Davdison
Merry 4th of July by Bradley Davidson
It is the 4th of July, 2025 and all are enjoying the hot days and warm evenings of this mid-summer ritual with hot dogs and hamburgers sizzling on the barbeques, ice cream and evening shows of things blowing up high in the sky. Celebrating the creation of this nation and its declaration of independence from tyranny and things unjust, we have always maintained an excitement and awe hard to match. But in recent years there has been additional excitement and a sort of curious awe in the air throughout this day as it hangs on the threshold of the Black 5th. The Black 5th, you see, is the beginning of the Christmas Season. Stores begin their holiday sales in the dark hours of the morning of July 5th and the retail business starts pulling itself out of the red. This annual beginning of the holiday shopping season had always been creeping earlier and earlier through the years, but it was the Great Recession which pushed it back all the way to July. It was, in fact, a bipartisan act of the U.S. Congress, started by a Super Committee, which mandated the beginning of Christmas start on this day in an effort to stimulate the economy and somehow wipe 1.2 trillion dollars from the federal deficit. The public was excited and gift giving became a 6 month past time. Stores could hardly keep their shelves stocked. Christmas tree lots became permanent as people needed to buy a fresh tree once a month and mall parking lots became smaller as the temporary tree lots never went away. Turkeys almost became extinct before the fowl industry could adjust because of the legislated clause in the Congressional act, deemed by some cynics as the “Insanity Clause” which called for a turkey on every table once a month. If your employer didn’t include the turkey with your benefits and you could not afford to buy your own, a new government entitlement program was started to ensue every American had a monthly dose of turkey. The problem of American obesity took a back seat to the economy and America was thrilled. However 6 months of Christmas carols became a problem with a great many people having psychotic episodes and mental breakdowns before a new music genre emerged which combined classic, rock and roll, Pop, R&B, country western, jazz and new age with Christmas lyrics so the holiday music was disguised, sounded normal and occasionally a new song would make it to the top 10 hit list. The other 6 months of the year were reserved for paying off the credit cards. We all know how that works. Before you realize, Christmas is starting again, and the retail beast starts sucking in the dollars once again and spewing forth mountains of big box items. It really seems to be a strange system we have, an economy that requires growth to be successful, and a government that tries to control it but can’t seem to manage itself. But the people spend, give presents, eat turkey and are happy. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, in a manger long, long ago, a small group gathers to witness the beginning of a great thing. There were Joseph and Mary, a stable boy, some sheep, cows and three wise men and eventually baby Jesus all assembled for some reason they didn’t know. How could they know they were beholding the birth of a great force that would affect the world for thousands of years? How could they know this new baby would teach half the world how to live life and succeed in death by loving and respecting others, and turning the other cheek and forgiving those that have hurt them? So, this 4th of July, have a happy holiday and a Merry Christmas. # # # |