Almost December

Christmas is creeping up on us, a month away, but starting to see some Christmas Sales already. What a wonderfull time of the year for retailers and jewelers and others. I wish I had been keeping count, but I think, on an average, we see 37 commercials a day, for jewelers, DIAMONDS, DIAMOND RINGS, DIAMOND NECKLACES, DIAMONDS, DIAMONDS.

A guilt trip is layed on the man who DOES NOT purchase diamonds for his wife. The commercial shows, well, a lot of them are men giving diamonds to their wives, in the morning, while they are in bed .... and if you notice .... there is a pause, then a blank, on what happens AFTER she gets the diamonds. Advertising EXTORTION. IF YOU want to have a .... nice ...... Christmas, give her diamonds. When, where and why, did diamonds become the ultimate christmas gift. And, Christmas is for KIDS, but we never see Dad giving diamonds to his kids, just his wife.

Many years ago, the office of a retailer, all the salesmen are there, looking depressed, probably in August, hot, overhead fan humming ....

"People, people, listen to me, sales are down, we're stuck with a bunch of summer stuff that didn't sell, and never will .. any ideas we can drop in the well......"

"Chief, hay prices are up, it's taking more money to keep the horses going, so the milk guy has to spend more, the iceman, the bread guy, it just goes on and on. Hell, my lunch today cost over 45 cents, no one has any money to spend on things."

"Look people, if we don't do a good November and December, we are in trouble, BIG TROUBLE. Harry, you marketing guys, any ideas?"

"Well, a couple of weeks ago we hired that guy that used to me a minister, and well, we were talking at lunch about Christmas coming up, and he's a bit of a nut, goes in to the whole story thing, the guy, his wife, no room at the inn, the whole thing ..... but I remember he was talking about them three smart guys that brought GIFTS for the baby, on December 25th. Well, Charlie in shipping and old Cory in maintenance, well we was talkin at bowling, about the gift thing, and well, I just wondered if we culdn't start spreading that thought .... give gifts, in December, at Christmas, well, not to the kid, but to each other, make it a BIG selling thing. Hell, start right after Thanksgiving, everyone is full and happy, get 'em out shopping, drill that advertising into them .... gifts, gifts, presents, presents, more, more ... and then after Christmas, BIG SALES to get rid of everything ... and then start all over .... might work, huh?"

"Harry, let's drop that in the well and listen to it splash .... I think you got something there, I can see big parades and the guy in the red suit comin to town .... get the kids to not shut up till they let 'em know what they want ...... I like this .... Harry ..... may have hit on something."

It started earlier, but this put it over the top. Old Harry, in Marketing, who'd of thought it!