Just Like I Remembered!

ourproductionstudio.com

It was not nearly as cold as I remembered it to be.  Of course, Myrtle Beach is not quite like Dayton, Ohio at Christmas time.  Many of those growing up years in Ohio, the ground was covered with the white stuff.  Not here in Myrtle Beach. 

I dressed for the occasion with a red sweater, jeans and my new leather jacket.  The faces were all different than what I remember as a teenager but the smiles, the voices and the enthusiasm were all the same.  My voice, although unpracticed and certainly deeper than those teenage years, enjoyed the experience all the same.

Although I had the provided songbook, the words all came back to me.  I had sung them thousands of times as a young man.  More so than most as my mother was a piano teacher and church organist.  Christmas carols were standard fare around my house from Thanksgiving to Christmas.  All those young students of mom's learning how to play Joy To The World, Silent Night and Jingle Bells. 

Joining the church youth group for their annual Christmas caroling was a blast from the past.  Piling in cars and a van, we visited half a dozen homes and sang to several shut-in seniors.  It was an enjoyable evening bringing just a little bit of Christmas to friends.  We actually sounded pretty good too, given the only practice afforded us was on the drive to the various homes.   

I was somewhat disappointed that no one offered up hot chocolate.  Of course, the outdoor temperature was in the 60's so I probably was the only one of our group that even thought of hot chocolate on such a night.  We did enjoy a plateful of cookies, brownies and a few other Christmas delights.  It was a good time and not all that different than 40 years ago when I participated as a teenager. 

Singing Christmas carols with a group of young people and bringing just a little "good cheer" to those less fortunate was meaningful for me.  Actually, one of the most meaningful experiences I have had in years.  I have always held Christmas close and I have always celebrated Christ's birth.  This Christmas year is more difficult than most and I was glad to have the opportunity to find some joy.  Merry Christmas to you and yours!      

Black Friday - An Event Like No Other

For weeks now, all the department stores and big box stores have been communicating their messages to us about how big "Black Friday" would be at their store.  Sharing with us all the specials, discounts and offers they would have available for us.  The media tagged along with all types of reports leading up to the biggest shopping day of the year.  Thursday's newspaper was filled with advertisements announcing all the great deals that would be available at the respective stores.  The newspaper seemed twice as heavy as a Sunday paper.    Thanksgiving has really become the prelude to Black Friday for the committed and savvy shopper. 

Ever the shopping enthusiast, I just had to take a peek and see what kind of response there would be here in Myrtle Beach.  I wasn't planning on going into a store to shop.  Rather, I was interested in seeing what crowds there were and how many cars were in the parking lots.  You see the news reports and occasionally speak to someone who actually participated but I was interested and wanted some first-hand knowledge.  My interest is sparked on several different levels.  First and foremost, I am interested to see how this year's event (what else can we call it) would be affected by the poor economic conditions we have.  Secondly, I wanted to get a glimpse of the madness if you will of all the people who were up all day long preparing Thanksgiving meals and still had energy enough to meet the crowds head-on to secure their special Christmas gifts. 

Oh my God.  My first stop was at one of our local Wal-Mart superstores.  Cars were parked in every possible parking spot as well as the adjacent store parking lots.  Wal-Mart stayed open throughout the day so there were was no waiting going on.  Driving around the corner, I wanted to check out Best Buy.  I had always heard the crowds at Best Buy were actually camped out hours in advance to snap-up the early bargains.  Word had it too that Best Buy was showing outdoor movies at some of their locations.  As I approached Best Buy, the line in anticipation of getting into the store completely encircled the store.  Almost all of folks in line had beach chairs and looked well-prepared for their wait. 

My two sons, Tim and Dan, had ventured out to the Tanger Outlet Mall west of town.  They had asked if I wanted to tag along.  I declined but asked for an update on the crowd.  They reported that all the parking spaces were taken and there was a huge crowd everywhere for the eye to see.  I moved on to my next location, another popular Wal-Mart located only a few short miles from the one I had just visited.  Once again, the parking lot was overwhelmed with cars with the nearby fast food restaurant, pharmacy and strip mall filled completely with cars. 

It was official.  The early results based on my personal reconnoiter convinced me that Black Friday was alive and well right here in Myrtle Beach.  It was as if no one was home sleeping this night as everyone must have been out at the stores.  I did not wait around at any of stores to see what was being purchased or how many bags of gifts were being toted out to vehicles but I suspect the early crowd was spending some serious money.  Given these tough economic times, it would appear that folks had put some money aside for this extraordinary shopping day.  Any casual observer would have responded with, "what recession?" or "sluggish economy?" 

We are an interesting and complex species, the American consumer.  We happily fall right in line with what we are encouraged and motivated to perform when we receive the right set of messages or direction.  For retail America, they have us pretty well figured out.  Who cooks all day long, entertains and makes sure that all family members are taken care of and then stays up and ventures out into the throngs of humanity to pick-up that special gift or cartful of gifts.  We do as we have been conditioned to do so.  Pavlov might really enjoy seeing his behavioral theories come to life on a Black Friday. 

We're a funny, predictable and yet unpredictable bunch, we Americans.  Give us the right motivation and we really will respond.  We love to shop.  Makes us feel good about ourselves.  No question.  Provide us with the right set of incentives and we will come out in force.  Makes you wonder what things could be accomplished on a national scale if we employed "Black Friday" motivators and incentives.  Something to think about as you are jostled about this holiday shopping season.