Boxing Day—& Why I Never Do The Big Sales
Christmas Day here turned out to be a really nice day, brightly sunny but not too hot, and with a considerable reduction of earthshaking activity, ie from 46 and 45 respectively on the previous two days, down to ‘only’ 29 on the 25th. Needless to say, it was very nice to be able to focus on family and friends in a positive way and duly observe all the usual rituals of phone calls, visits, and presents, food and drink. 😉
Today is very much the same weather-wise, and with only 8 quakes recorded so far; as always we are hoping—somewhat against the odds, it has to be said, but hope does spring eternal—that the ‘reducing’ trend will continue.
Speaking of trends, Boxing Day has become the day of big sales in the retail sector, but that is a trend I have never wanted to participate in.
Here’s why—Boxing Day is a public holiday. That means it’s meant to be a holiday for everyone—a time when we can relax with family and friends after the whirl of Christmas Day and recharge the batteries a bit after the hectic pre-Christmas rush. By allowing it to be turned into a commercial extravaganza I believe we are tacitly saying that we think it’s ok for people who work in the retail sector not to have the same chance to wind-down and spend quality time with family and friends as everyone else.
I also feel it says a great deal about what we think is most important as a society—not only being willing to trade off retail sector workers’ public holiday so we can add one more day of ‘shop till we drop’ to a year’s worth of regular shopping days, but also placing that ‘one more shopping day’ ahead of the opportunity to spend quality time with those we love: going to the beach or the park, having a picnic, just playing sport or hanging out in the backyard, or popping some corn and watching favourite movies together, listening to music or playing it, or simply curling up somewere comfortable with a good book.
Because here’s the thing: these are things we can’t just do any time. We have to work; the kids have to go to school. Often, too, we live at a distance from family and friends so public holidays are a real opportunity to spend some time together—and when all’s said and done, there are just so many other days in the year to shop.
As for Boxing Day being the big discount day: although we all like to take advantage of opportunities for bargains, they can just as readily be offered on days other than public holidays … But even if no other days in the year are quite so convenient, I still question why we should set the opportunity to shop for consumer items above all other values—is it really so important to us? And if we mean it when we lament the loss of family and community values in our society, then why do we support intiatives that so obviously denigrate those values in favour of consumerism?
These are the reflections that led me to decide that Boxing Day sales were not for me. I realise that I am just one individual, but if large enough numbers of individuals were to make that same personal choice then the stores would not open on public holidays—because retail outlets are in the business of making money and if no one’s buying then there is no reason for them to open.
So this is one way in which as individuals we really can change the world—if enough of us want to and are willing to change our behaviours in simple ways.
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From tomorrow I’ll be bringing you “The Best of ‘… on Anything Really’ 2011”, which will run through until 1 January when there’ll be a special feature here in conjunction with my regular post on the Supernatural Underground.
I never do the Boxing Day Sales either. But today, instead of relaxing, my daughter and I headed off to dig silt in the eastern suburbs. There’s heaps there still!
I have to admit, I didn’t last the full day, I left that to the young students, but I think we made a difference while our energy lasted. Then I came home to sleep it off 🙂
Catherine, good on you and your daughter for ‘giving a hand’ in the eastern suburbs. I must admit we split our effort today—I stayed here and cleaned up the patches of liquefaction around our section (only patches, thank goodness) while my partner, some neighbours and friends headed further east. They ended up in Parklands where the student volunteer army was back in action as well, and have told me a lot of the people they met there are feeling very defeated—not surprisingly, trying to deal with the same mess for the 4th or 5th time.
I agree with you wholeheartedly, Helen. My daughter’s partner works in retail and had to go off to work this morning at 7am and didn’t get home until nearly 9pm. All Christmas day it nagged at him that he’d have to be up early and what an awful day it was going to be. The air conditioning couldn’t handle the combined body heat of so many people in one building and stopped working on a hot, humid, incredibly busy day.
Doesn’t matter how much you might want to get into the Christmas spirit, that sort of thing hanging over your head on Christmas day is enough to dampen it completely. I wish more people knew it was like that before they raced out to the sales on Boxing Day.
Wen, thank you for giving such an apt and ‘real’ example to illustrate my point.
The day is a true holiday here. Stores are closed. 🙂
Well done—and long may it continue!
I’ve never gone, the amount of people in a confined space is scary.
Checked out a few websites ad watched some of CSI LV S10, my present from Steve.
CSILVS10, Jan?
Crime Scene Investigators: Las Vegas, Season 10.
Sorry, being lazy.
we don’t have “Boxing Day” here in the states, but the stores are open. People flock to them to exchange presents and use their gift cards. My family stayed home and played and ate candy and leftovers 🙂
That sounds like a great day in!