Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring-ting-tingling too.
For some, the first of December marks the first day to pop a chocolate from the Advent calendar, dust off your decorations and don the halls with bells and bling.
For others, there’s little time to spare between mourning Halloween and drumming up the Christmas spirit.
In an era of total consumerism and 4G networks, it appears that the notion of nothing to shop for in the month of November just doesn’t bode well with Canadians; this includes Cochranites, whose average household income sits at the top among Albertan communities ($83,003, according to 2005 Census data).
Memories of end-of-summer vacations have long been folded into photo albums.
Landscapes of orange and black quietly transform to red and green overnight.
With higher demands than ever being placed on both single and dual income families to earn more, spend more and Band-Aid their financial peril with increased credit card limits, there is tremendous appeal in saving a buck.
Like stealing items from carts of other shoppers or getting into parking lot brawls on Black Friday and having the footage uploaded to YouTube faster than you can say ‘Baby, it’s Cold Outside’.
That’s right. Black Friday. The exclusively American holiday celebrated the day following the American Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday in November).
November marks an opportune time to lure Canadians into shopping malls and kick off the season, in search of record-breaking spending, with glossy buzzwords like ‘blowout sale’, ‘midnight madness’, followed by Boxing Day ‘clearances’ where ‘everything must go’, lasting into February.
Since nobody likes a Scrooge, particularly if you have small children involved, even the season’s finest cynics will most likely hop on the bandwagon, distracting themselves from repetitive commercial jingles with a new shortbread recipe or fancying a new edition of E-cards.
Better yet, you might find a charity to ring a bell for, reminding the affluent that a little goes a long way for those in need.
So, when does Christmas in Cochrane officially begin?
Is the ball thrown into play at the annual Cochrane Light-Up?
Santa’s first Christmas craft sale appearance?
It’s a festive time to think about when the Christmas season officially begins for you. Perhaps it’s a time best spent with family and friends, or maybe a destination vacation.
Whenever your festive frenzy takes over, take care to set the boxing gloves aside and shop with courtesy. Shelves will usually be restocked and other parking spots will open up.
And if you can’t handle the Calgary crowds, remember the dozens of boutique shops right here in Cochrane and in nearby Bragg Creek, most of which have re-opened since the floods and just may have the perfect gift in store for you to set your Christmas season into swing.
