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Scrooge McEditor dishes out a little bit of ‘Bah, Humbug’

By Chuck Hunt - Editor | Dec 4, 2022

I’m sorry, but there are just some things about the Christmas season that get to me.

And I don’t mean in a good way.

Much of that revolves around it being called the Christmas Shopping Season. There is Black Friday, Super Saturday, Terrific Thursday, Cyber Monday and Boxing Day, which is the day after Christmas when everyone returns all the gifts that they really didn’t want or need. And a bunch of other shopping promotions for Christmas that start right around Halloween. And then there are the mega billions which will be spent on gift giving.

Sometimes all that gives me the willies. Yes, the willies. It is a word, my dad used it all the time. It means “a strong feeling of nervous apprehension and discomfort.” You could look it up.

The way people look at Christmas sometimes gives me the willies.

Before you call me a complete Scrooge, however, there is one shopping promotion I do embrace. Shop Small Saturday. Except that I am a firm believer in shopping in the stores in our small towns all year round, not just one special Saturday out of the year.

I think I see a resurgence in shopping in small stores, and in small towns, and that is really a good thing.

If we don’t all support our local stores and businesses, they are going to go away. And with that, other good things about living in small towns can go away as well.

Right now, it seems that Blue Earth is seeing a resurgence in small shops opening up. It is really becoming a shopping destination for many folks from around the area.

So, I encourage you to Shop Small all the time. It is amazing what all you can find in the stores in Faribault County.

Try it.

But back to the real meaning of Christmas, and it is not just all about shopping. To me, it is gathering as family and friends and remembering the birth of Jesus, and giving to others because of what he has given us.

Some people get that true meaning of Christmas.

People like those crazy guys who are once again camping out in the Juba’s Grocery parking lot. They are raising money and receiving donated toys for the food shelf and toy drive, while they deal with the wind and the snow and the cold.

There are others who do similar things. The Giving Trees, Shop With A Cop, Bundle Up Coat Drives, and many other programs designed to help others who need a little help, at Christmas time and maybe all the time.

Maybe we see a little bit more of that kind of Christmas spirit in our small towns and less populated rural counties. It is not that we care more than those in larger urban cities, it is just that we know a lot more of our neighbors, perhaps.

So, with just 24 more shopping days left until Christmas, I hope once again that we all take a collective breath and try and remember the real “Reason for the Season,” as they say. Don’t make it all about the shopping. Sure, giving and getting gifts is fun, but try and help others who need it. too.

And there certainly are a lot of ways to help those who are helping others here in Faribault County.

Our Holiday Gift Guide magazine that came out last month had some stories about many of those, and some have been highlighted in recent issues of the Faribault County Register.

Hope this holiday season is special for you, and that you make it special for others, as well.