Skip to main content

F ³: Too Much, Too Many

 



Last night found my husband and I eating food from McDonald’s after his bell choir rehearsal. I am not a fan of food from McDonald’s, but, I will occasionally be convinced to make do with it if nothing else is available. 

I suspect I suffer from too much exposure. My family went to McDonald's every Saturday for lunch for years. Add to that my eye opening experiences working for McDonald’s and it’s understandable that my view of the Golden Arches isn't exactly rosy.

My husband, on the other hand, has happy childhood memories of McDonald’s. He was trying to explain the mystique of the colors and the lights and even the flavor of the pickles to a young person growing up in Northern Ireland. (American exoticism, perhaps?) He remembered how exciting it was to go to London because there were two McDonald’s there.

Just imagine. Two whole McDonald’s.

It occurred to me that part of what made it appealing to him was its rarity. Partaking of McDonald’s was a special occasion. Here in the United States the ubiquity of McDonald’s is almost overwhelming. 

Is that an American thing? If having a McDonald’s in your town meets with success, well, let's have more. Five, ten, twenty…a sit-down, a drive-through, and one at the mall, too. The theory seems to be that success means replicating at an alarming pace. 

Now we arrive at the point of all this: Santa Claus. (Cool points will be awarded to anyone who saw this plot twist coming.)

Columbia/HoCo has exploded with occasions to see Santa. My social media feed is awash with all things red, white, and furry. This is not a rant about how Santa cheapens the Christian message of Christmas. It’s really very simple: too many Santas. 

Does the proliferation of Santa events take on the same frenzied onward march of McDonald’s, Starbucks, Dunkin, and so on? At what point does a magical holiday moment - - that we hope will feel magical to a child - - feel more like an annual invasion? 

Is it an American trait to be inclined to overdo things? Have we completely killed the appreciation of something as a special occasion?

If one Santa in your town parade meets with success, well, let’s have more. Five, ten, twenty…a sit-down breakfast with Santa, a drive-through Santa chat, and Santa at the Mall with prepaid picture packages, too. 

It has certainly passed the tipping point for me. I recognized a feeling of growing anxiety when I noticed signs sprouting up on street corners. “Santa is coming to your neighborhood!” Part of me wanted to go home, lock the doors and pull down the shades.

I appreciate arguments for access. Seeing Santa shouldn’t be only for the rich kids. But, honestly, haven’t we expanded this Santa thing beyond all reason?

If it is an American thing to overdo things, I wish we applied that energy to basic needs like food, health care, paid sick leave, decent housing and working conditions. You can put those on every corner and in every mall and I promise I won’t complain.

Why, you’d be more popular than Santa. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...
1 comment
Read more