By Jennifer Pinnock

"City sidewalks, busy sidewalks dressed in holiday style. In the air there's a feeling of Christmas."

These two lines from the popular Christmas song Silver Bells have been going through my mind for weeks. I have been pondering just exactly what the feeling of Christmas is. Of course, it should be something wonderful -- something cheery, bright and happy. However, I found that the closer Christmas gets, cheer gets more scarce.

This fact hit me the day after Thanksgiving. It has long been a tradition in my family to start Christmas shopping on this day. Growing up in a family of six girls, I know all there is to know about shopping and the most important fact is that you have to get a good price.

Many stores have sales from 6 to 11 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving, which is when the best bargains are offered. There is no other time of the year can you save $10 on a George Foreman grill, $25 on a Gameboy, and pay only $9.98 for a color printer. Also, Fred Meyer only offers half-price socks and towels on this one very important day.

Anyway, as my mom and I stood in a line among hundreds of other bargain hunters I saw men and women getting out of their cars and walking toward the front of the store instead of waiting in the line that ended somewhere in the parking lot. I couldn't really tell what they were doing but all of the sudden a loud, deep, raspy voice yelled, "What do you think you are doing. I have been waiting in line for over an hour. Get to the back of the line or else." Was this woman spreading holiday cheer or what? The warm, fuzzy feeling she was extending was sure evident.

As soon as the store opened people started pushing to get inside. No one waits their turn. No one uses polite words. No one holds the door for the person coming in behind them. I do realize that it is 6 a.m., but that is no excuse for being rude.

People get really greedy at this time of year. Two women were arguing over who would get the last Gameboy and who had it first and so on. The arguing turned to pushing, which turned to punching and hair pulling. A police officer was brought in to settle the dispute. I don't know who got the game, but the officer sure had a laugh about it. Too bad he couldn't have cited them for failure to think of others instead of themselves.

Greediness does not only happen in Christmas shopping it also happens here in the Utah State parking lots. If you have ever waited in the B-Lot outside the TSC you know what I mean. The other day I was waiting for a spot and was stopped at the end of a row. Another car was waiting on the same row, but at the opposite end. A car pulled out and since it was at my end of the row, I turned on my blinker to signal that I was going to take this spot. However, the guy at the other end of the row raced toward me and pulled into the spot. He then glared at me. Apparently I was supposed to know this spot was his. I didn't get out of my car or get mad. I just let him have the spot and I hope he felt good about himself.

With all these events I guess I can conclude that the "hustle and bustle" of Christmas has begun and something other than the feeling of Christmas is in the air. Life can't always be as perfect as a Christmas carol.

MS
MS

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