please don't go shopping at 3:00 am friday


the above picture has been making the rounds on facebook this week. it's dramatic, sure, but it's on point, right?

my girls have crafted their christmas lists for the most part already. most of their wants are gadget-y, relatively expensive stuff. hannah wants an ipod touch. caroline wants a meep, something akin to a tablet for children i think. don't tell 'em before the big day, but they are going to get what they want, at least those two big prizes, because, why not? they want them. as parents, we can afford them. they are good kids. they deserve awesome christmases. right?

well, sure they do.

but therein lies the crux.

the kids on the left hand side of the pointed picture above, they deserve to have awesome christmases, too. and they ain't gonna get it.

so, i close my eyes.

click my heels.

"there's no place like home." "there's no place like home." "there's no place like home."

bam.

i'm back. thank god.

back in kansas the united states of commercialism capitalism.

6 BILLION dollars. that was the rounded off figure that's been widely reported as being spent by the two parties competing for the office of president.

define necessity.

the american research group predicts the average american will spend about $854 dollars for gifts this year. in 2010, shoppertrak estimates over 10 BILLION dollars was spent on black friday alone. according to comscore, inc., christmas shopping in 2011 reached upwards and over the 35 BILLION dollar mark, up 15 percent from the previous year.

define necessity.

hello, my name is kevin. i'm a consumer.

i'm part of the problem. sarah is. my friends are. we all are.

our grandparents' sentiment of wanting their children to have a better life and better chances than they did has evolved and mutated into an ugly keeping up with the jones' approach to life.

we have felt this since moving to trussville.

hannah began her primary education at chalkville. the classes were more diverse, and by diverse i mean that hannah was in the minority. the degree of affluence was lower. kids didn't bring techno-shit to school for the most part.

that's not the case at paine. and make no mistake, we love paine. both the intermediate and primary schools have been amazing for hannah and caroline, but i worry we are tipping them to an expectation level that is skewing their view of the world in which we live. every classroom is computer-literate. the classrooms are all fitted with up to date technology and those benefits are worked into the child's education. it's a different beast. i don't know, necessarily, that it's better, but i already feel like the girls will be farther ahead in a lot of ways than if they were somewhere with shallower pockets.

define necessity.

is it being able to bring a kindle to class so you can read your textbooks online? is it being jealous as an eight year old when your contemporaries are carrying around kiddie vera bradley purses. is it neither? is it both?

all this bullshit talk about our economy, man.

all this bullshit talk about obama turning us into socialists.

all this bullshit talk about conditional giving. "i don't mind helping people, just so long as they can't help themselves."

ugh.

it makes me sick, man. sick.

maybe it's just me, but each time i hear something like that, what i really hear is, "i am fine right now. don't bother me with all your fancy stats about poverty and whatnot. if you'll excuse me, i am going to go down the hall to the starbucks... in the middle of my church.

define necessity.

we are good at luxury. and by we i mean i. i don't want to give up my falcons football games. i want fancy ipads and clever t-shirts and other things that i don't have that i don't really need. i want a phablet because the one in lebron's commercial looks awesome.

my name is kevin, and i am sick. i'm a consumer. i need your help.

please don't go shopping at 300 in the morning on friday. stay home. with your family. visit a friend. go play outside. do something real. something that'll stick to your spiritual bones. something...simple.

hang on to some of that cash. give it to a charity. send it oversees to a child you'll never see.

help me.

help you.

you go talk to your friends, talk to my friends, talk to me.

define necessity.

define a good christmas. give your loved ones something fun or nice or some thing they would never get for themselves. then stop.

go see a movie together.

just please don't go shopping at 300 in the morning on friday.

help you.

help me.