Well, it's Christmas again. Another Christmas in retail. Another Christmas in Cancerland. I barely remember last Christmas. So much was going on...Chemo, side effects, terror over the approaching surgery, worry about the mounting Dr. bills... This year is not quite so difficult. On the other hand, this year I am a lot less insulated from the truth of my diagnosis. This year I am fully aware that my number of future Christmas seasons are limited.
I am not trying to be morose or depressing. Actually, this is making Christmas have a bit more importance than usual. Prior to 2011, when I thought of Christmas, all I thought was how horrible it was. I hated the holiday. Twenty years in retail can do that to a person. Believe me, anyone who works in any service industry can tell you that for us, holidays mean nothing more than more work, more obnoxious people and less time for our own friends and family. In retail, Christmas starts in August. That's when the first shipments roll in the doors. Long before we even start setting Halloween, our stock rooms begin filling up with early Christmas toys, gifts and winter supplies. By October, the backroom is bursting at the seams and we are ready to get rid of Halloween by about the second week of October so that we can put the next season on the floor. By Thanksgiving, all the seasonal that we are going to receive is already there and must be on the sales floor ready to sell. By the time we hit December, we are already selling out of the most popular items and bracing ourselves for those shoppers who wait till the last minute and then are amazed that we are out of stock. Sometimes in the past I have been tempted to grab people by the shoulders and scream at them "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU???? This stuff has been here since AUGUST. Where were YOU? I mean, it's not like Christmas comes as a surprise... we have one every year on the same date! WHY would you expect us to still have this stuff in stock? My job is to sell out as fast as I can because Valentines is already IN MY STOCKROOM! I have Cadbury Easter Eggs coming NEXT WEEK!" But I restrain myself.
This year, I even thought about putting up a tree. Honestly... you have no idea how big a deal that is. I haven't put up a tree in years. Or rather, I haven't put up a tree in my own house in years. I put up the tree at Mom's house (which I love to do). I put up the trees at work (2ft, 3ft, 4ft, lighted 4ft, 6ft, lighted 6ft, porch tree, spiral tree and light up reindeer). By the time I do that... I am so sick of trees it's not even funny. And decorating??? Are you kidding me? I just decorated an 8000 sq ft store. But this year i found myself looking at the little villages, the wreaths and the lights and wondering how would my house look if I decorated. What if I put up some lights? Maybe I should put some candles in the window. (For me this is a HUGE step... even thinking about decorating used to give me hives) Maybe NEXT Christmas I will even put a tree up...
I am not trying to be morose or depressing. Actually, this is making Christmas have a bit more importance than usual. Prior to 2011, when I thought of Christmas, all I thought was how horrible it was. I hated the holiday. Twenty years in retail can do that to a person. Believe me, anyone who works in any service industry can tell you that for us, holidays mean nothing more than more work, more obnoxious people and less time for our own friends and family. In retail, Christmas starts in August. That's when the first shipments roll in the doors. Long before we even start setting Halloween, our stock rooms begin filling up with early Christmas toys, gifts and winter supplies. By October, the backroom is bursting at the seams and we are ready to get rid of Halloween by about the second week of October so that we can put the next season on the floor. By Thanksgiving, all the seasonal that we are going to receive is already there and must be on the sales floor ready to sell. By the time we hit December, we are already selling out of the most popular items and bracing ourselves for those shoppers who wait till the last minute and then are amazed that we are out of stock. Sometimes in the past I have been tempted to grab people by the shoulders and scream at them "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU???? This stuff has been here since AUGUST. Where were YOU? I mean, it's not like Christmas comes as a surprise... we have one every year on the same date! WHY would you expect us to still have this stuff in stock? My job is to sell out as fast as I can because Valentines is already IN MY STOCKROOM! I have Cadbury Easter Eggs coming NEXT WEEK!" But I restrain myself.
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| Me and my Bestie decorating Mom's Tree |
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