Santa? Or Scrooge?

The female off spring and I made a little side trip to the local mall the other day just so the grand baby could see that famous jolly old elf.  You know... the one who's little round belly shakes when he laughs like a bowl full of jelly.  Yes... Santa.  The Clause.  Kris Kringle.  Father Christmas.  The big guy at the North Pole.

Two things struck me on our rather disappointing trip.

First.. Santa wasn't even there.  Nope.  Santa being as busy as he is this time of year couldn't be bothered to sit and listen to the wish lists of little kids at about 11:00 am on a weekday.  He has a schedule.  And wouldn't make an appearance until 4:00 pm on that day.

Second... Had Santa in fact been on duty at the time we arrived; he would be happy to "talk" to our little guy.  But if we wanted a photo we better not even think about pulling out a camera, cell phone, or tablet for a quick shot.  Not even one quick personal snapshot.  The privilege of a photo with Santa comes at a cost.  Starting at $16 for ONE 4x6 digital print to be precise.

SIXTEEN DOLLARS!

Call me cheap... but I can get a 4x6 digital print made at most any drug store for less than a dollar.  In fact I can get two or three for about a dollar.  Which is the reason I am in complete and total shock that someone would charge $16 for one with the dude in the red suit.  

C'mon people! It's Christmas for goodness sake!! And many parents are scraping to be able to purchase a few nice gifts for their kids.  All they want is one little snapshot to capture this fleeting moment of childhood and belief in their offspring.  And now you charge them $16 for one little photo with Santa??

So much for the Christmas spirit!!

Sounds more like something Scrooge would dream up to me...

photo credit: stltoday.co

A Little Grinch In All Of Us

What ever happened to good will toward man?  The Christmas spirit?  Isn't this time of year supposed to bring out the best in people?  Even the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes at Christmas!  And yet...  I seem to be living in a town full of Scrooges.

I have had more people pull out into traffic right in front of me in the past week than the entire rest of the year.  And the ones that aren't pulling out in front of me, or cutting me off - are the ones riding my bumper.

Then there was the woman in line at the store in front of me who was clearly well over the "20 items or less".   She didn't think that requirement applied to her.  Or maybe she just thought it was more of a suggestion than anything else.  Who knows.  But as if ignoring the 20 item limit wasn't rude enough - she had to also complain about everything involved with her transaction.  How it was being bagged.  Didn't the cashier have a bag for the giant box containing the slow cooker she was purchasing?  Why did she have to sign a receipt for her credit card purchase when she had done the transaction on the little swipe pad thing already? 

And of course the people who stand in line and huff and puff and fidget because things aren't moving fast enough.  Sorry people - but you know it's the holidays.  You know the stores are going to be crowded.  So is the post office. You should well expect that you are going to have to wait in line.  Sighing deeply to yourself over and over isn't going to change that fact.

I'm choosing to try a new tactic in dealing with all the ill-will around me.  I paste on a big ol' smile and kill them with kindness.  Will it change all those around me?  Probably not.  But it can still have a reward all its own.  For as the saying goes -

“A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.” ~ Herm Albright