This War on Christmas is Exhausting!!

It’s still dark in the morning when I get in my car and head to the store where I work. I have no choice but to wear a Christmas (holiday), red and white T-Shirt (normal is black and blue). This year’s Christmas (holiday) shirt consists of George Washington wearing a Christmas (holiday) cap. Our extended Christmas (holiday) hours exist to “make it easier” for the customers to get their Christmas (oops, I mean holiday again) shopping done. The fact that the extra hours of operation multiplied by the hundreds of stores brings in millions of extra dollars, ah, that’s just a side issue.



The fog has been extremely thick these early mornings due to the crazy warm December weather we’ve been having on the east coast ~ of course global climate change has nothing to do with that circumstance, (fa lalalala lala la la) ~ the drive is extra tricky and quite nerve racking.



Turning into the parking lot, I steal my thoughts and garner my energy. Eight hours is a long time to stand, day after day, continuously bagging large orders. The parking lot lights visible through the fog are decorated with Christmas (oops, I mean holiday) trees. The Christmas (holiday) garland is wrapped ever so tightly around each and every lamp pole making them look all ready for the Christmas (holiday) season.



Walking into the store, I trip over a box of to be unpacked Christmas (oops, there I go again), HOLIDAY ornaments. They will have to be squeezed into the already stuffed ENTIRE front section of the store that is full of Christmas (holiday) wrapping paper, pajamas, stockings, neck ties, cups, lawn decorations, gift bags, Santas, Reindeer, candy and other assorted Christmas, (holiday) stock. Wow, this war on Christmas is exhausting. Meanwhile, the Hanukkah end cap has wrapping paper with stars of David and a few mugs that say Oy. That’s it. There is nothing for Kwanza. That’s our “Holiday” section!!!!



After regaining my balance, I slide through the additional wall of Christmas (holiday) socks, gift tags, and gift boxes to make my way to the register. First thing I have to do is turn on the Christmas (holiday) music. Songs that mention sleigh rides and silver bells are one thing, but wow, that war on Christmas is really evident when all the songs that mention Jesus start playing! (Can you imagine a song mentioning Allah or Moses????? Me neither.)



To the tune of “Oh Holy Night”, I count the cash at my register as the Christmas (holiday) shoppers start their daily gift buying pilgrimage. Many customers this year are wearing a pin that says, “It’s okay to wish me a Merry Christmas”. To those people, just so you know, I will wish you a great day…no mention of Christmas will come from my lips because of your sanctimonious attitude. It’s very hard to feel bad for your holiday being under attack when everything Christmas is bombarding my senses from blinking red and green lights, songs about Santa, and Christmas just existing all around me!



I only wish those same people, wearing that pin, would be as willing to heed what I always thought to be the REAL, true meaning of Christmas all year round and not fight raising the minimum wage or having universal healthcare; in other words, REALLY caring about their fellow men and those less fortunate. But I guess the powers that be, those that make and promote slogans like a War on Christmas, don’t push that because there’s no profit in it.





At our store, we collected toys for two Christmas (holiday) charities. One charity gives toys to military families and the other is Toys for Tots. I think it’s really wonderful that we collect for these charities, don’t get me wrong, but what about needy children that may not be Christian? Should a retail store make it a point to accept donations all year round for all faiths? How about atheist children? How about poor children who can’t afford school supplies or birthday gifts all through the year? Wouldn’t that be a great “pro-life” thing to do? Also, shouldn’t the store give a discount if a person is donating to a charity? Isn’t it funny how the charities chosen coincide with the store’s profit motive? I ask the customers, would you like to donate to Toys for Tots? The customers say yes, they pick an item or two to donate, I ring it up at full price and put it in the box. Great for the kids, and I am happy for that….but also, really great for the company!! I am sorry, but I don’t call that charity, I call it-increased sales. The donation, in my opinion, should at least be given at a discount…but I digress.



Also, apparently, December 25th isn’t even Jesus’ birthday! Jesus was most likely born in March or November, not December. The only reason December 25th was chosen was apparently because it was already a popular day in Pagan religious celebrations as the birthday of the sun. Go figure ~ birthday of the sun or birthday of THE Son, hmmmm.) So, just like the trees, much of the celebration is a pagan holiday, so don’t get so insulted!!



The stress on the faces of so many customers this time of the year is apparent. They are stretched to the limit with not enough time, not enough money, and they get exasperated easily. Some people, on the other hand, are honestly very charming. I can see the holiday spirit in their faces, and they have yet to be wearing the pin telling me to wish them a Merry Christmas. They buy hundreds of dollars worth of toys to give to needy people in their Church. I truly admire that. To those folks, I will absolutely wish them a Merry Christmas, for they are showing the spirit of what the holiday is supposed to be about.



After my shift, I walk over the mess of the store and stop in the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner. There, the Christmas (holiday) music is also blaring, the Christmas, (holiday) specials are piled by the entrance, the Christmas (holiday) aisle is straight in front of me, full of decorations, plates, candy, cards, lights……I go home, look for something to watch on tv…there’s Christmas specials, Christmas movies…..beautiful and charming and I absolutely love them, but don’t you see, there is no war on Christmas!!!!!!!



If there was really a war on Christmas, wow, we non-Christians are losing it badly. To all those who feel the need to substitute Christmas for holidays I say get a life. We all know your holiday rules this time of year, including you, and that’s fine. Being inclusive in the word only makes it a bit more enjoyable for those of us who don’t share the massive celebration. Preaching good will toward men while attempting to ban a religion that isn’t yours from entering our country, and cutting benefits for needy children, isn’t in keeping with the words you speak, the words you want respect for in your holiday celebrations. The “holidays” include New Years, think of it that way. There is no war on Christmas, the war exists nowhere but in your minds and on Fox news. Your holiday is THE holiday, we all live it ~ we get off work for it, even if we don’t celebrate it…we can’t shop or go out to eat on it (except for Chinese food) because the world shuts down. You don’t have to use your personal time for your holidays like the rest of us do. So be a bit giving this time of year and stop with your preaching of a war on Christmas when the world has exploded in an array of red, green, tinsel, and over-worked retail employees whose Christmas bonus consists of aching feet and a cookie.



The meaning of Christmas that I grew up with is a meaning that consisted of brotherhood, of kindness, of good will. The trumped up (I can’t believe I used that word) notion of a War on Christmas is a tactic, and way too many are falling for it. The only reason those of us who do not share in your holiday would like some small bit of accommodation is because in our country there is majority rule, with respect for minority rights. You are the majority, that doesn’t give you the right to force your Christmas off everyone’s lips. Donald Trump saying, if he’s elected everyone will say Merry Christmas, is against EVERYTHING we stand for in our country. Don’t let their manipulations allow you to lose sight of that. You don’t have the right to feel abused because your holiday IS everywhere, abuse doesn’t mean those who don’t celebrate it have to participate. So, let’s get back to the meaning of Christmas, share peace and love and good will toward ALL men. Let’s stop the endless chatter about a ridiculous war on Christmas and start fighting the war that does exist, the war on decency, respect, science and compassion. We’ll ALL be better off if we fight THAT war.





Thank you……and Happy ALL the Holidays.

We have so much to learn from the giant sequoia/redwood trees!!

Certain facts of nature are truly astounding.  I was amazed to learn that the largest trees on our planet, redwoods and sequoias, have a shallow root system.  It is truly miraculous that trees as majestic and grand as these could stand and thrive long enough to grow so large with such a shallow structure.  Common sense would seem to dictate that over the thousands of years that some of these trees have stood, storms, wind, rain, would have toppled them since their roots don’t stretch far into the earth.  But they do stand for centuries and they do withstand storms, and they don’t fall…why?

It seems these giant trees have an elaborate, far reaching, if not deep, root system.  Their roots grow more horizontally, they latch onto other roots from fellow redwoods or sequoias and their strength comes from their community. I suppose they truly live the saying, “United We Stand”!  What an important lesson to be learned here!  These root systems are large, extending over 100 miles.  They intertwine with the roots all around them.  Baby redwoods latch onto the root system at the base of their parents and obtain their nourishment to grow and thrive.  These trees grow in clusters shaped like circles, these circles are sometimes called fairy rings. What a beautiful image that captures the magic of what these forests must exude.  Someday, I would love to go see these giants.  What a sight they must be, what a feeling they must give!

One other fact that I find so interesting about these trees is their dependence on fires to periodically sweep through.  Something so frightening as a fire has to visit them or they would not survive!  Naturally, every 25 years or so, a huge fire would happen to burn through sections of the forest clearing out all the built up debris that would otherwise keep the sunlight from reaching the ground.  The sunlight is necessary for other plants to grow, plants that would never be able to exist without access to the sun.  The bark of the redwoods and giant sequoias are not immune to fire, but the living part of their bark contains no flammable resin and is extremely thick and durable.  Only the dead wood inside the tree will burn, leaving the living parts that much stronger!  After the fires clear the ground, seeds from the redwoods themselves could grow with an increased chance of survival.  The ash left from the fires would leave nutrients that would seep into the ground after a rain.  These nutrients are also necessary for plants to grow.

The fire that is so necessary to the survival of the forest can be equated to a society's need to clear out the old, built up, cluttered, archaic views of its' existence.  Just as this clearing makes the forest stronger, a rethinking of our world view could only make our lives richer and stronger. A re-evaluation of humanities reliance and interdependence on each other would make our shared lives together on this beautiful planet so much richer.  The 'baggage' being cleared from the ground of these majestic trees makes them all stronger.  This enables the sun to shine through, reaching and warming parts of the earth that need it to thrive and grow.  

As a people, we need to clear our thoughts periodically, and no longer functioning ideas need to be discarded.  Sometimes it takes a deep awakening to discover that we are all people who are connected to each other and we need to allow the sun and all the goodness that is so abundant in our world to shine and permeate all of our lives.  Only by making the best possible environment for all can we each live our best, most meaningful life.

Learning about these giant trees is so interesting, so poignant.  If only we, human beings, could truly take their lessons to heart.  Imagine if we lived our lives reaching out to others in order to be stronger, instead of digging deep and alone into our own small existence?  No one person, like no one giant tree, can truly survive all that life brings alone.  Imagine how much lovelier, how much calmer, how much safer we would all feel if we had an elaborate root system that kept us standing through rough times and nourished us all in good times!  Families and friends are a great source of this root structure, and would still be at the heart, but even there, in too many cases it’s my family vs. your family, or my country vs. your country, or my people vs. your people…when, in reality, we are all ONE.  If mankind supported and helped each other instead of hating and blaming and weakening; killing and destroying each other, wouldn’t we ALL be better?  If one giant redwood stole all the nourishment in the ground causing the other trees to fail, eventually, that giant would also die, so what’s the point?  Lifting others, not stepping on them, best shows strength.  Living life to the fullest involves being a part, not being separate.  In reality, there are not differences among us that really matter.  We all have the ability to capture the love in our hearts and give it freely, give it with every breath so we can all live our one life in peace, love and abundance.

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Five Below in Newtown is Closing This Week~

I’ve worked at my Five Below store for almost five years now.  Wow, time flies!!   

Thinking back to my earliest days at the Newtown store, when I thought it was a temporary position until I found a “real job” again; until now, when it has become a job I truly enjoy, the transformation in my thinking amazes me.  Life is weird that way I guess.  It brings you to a spot you never planned or expected and then you find it just might be the perfect place ~ a place you were meant to be.

Since I started working at the Five Below store in Newtown, I have had the pleasure of working with some amazing, hard-working, intelligent, thoughtful people.  From my first Manager, Lisa, who brought me in for the holidays as we were long time friends, to other managers from Richie, Megan, Kim, Brittany and John, my present Manager, I can’t begin to properly extol the virtues of these highly skilled people.  I know a lot of people don't think very highly of retail workers, but let me tell you, the talent, intelligence, hard work and personalities of each of these managers is at least as comparable as any of the very highly respected and well paid CEO’s and CFO’s of some of the other companies I have worked for previously.  They may not be given the high salaries and cushy comforts of those other positions, but they surely display the same insight and business acumen.

Managers at a retail store HAVE to be there.  They have to deal with and diffuse issues from difficult customers and irresponsible workers (not me of course.....haha) to finances, store maintenance issues, vender problems, staffing, and a myriad of other daily situations.  It amazes me the widespread and highly under appreciated talents these dedicated men and women utilize every single day.  While doing all of these tasks, they simultaneously have to schedule the store to run well with the hours allotted, they have to get shipment done, keep the store looking great, and make sure everyone is functioning in such a way as to give the store a glowing reputation.  They work long, long hours, weekends, nights, holidays…and through all of this, I have yet to work with a Manager at Five Below that didn’t excel at every aspect!  I don’t know if the hiring process is just that great or if Five Below just lucks out, but I have been honored and privileged to work with each and every Manager.

But, now, my store and my store alone, is closing due to circumstances surrounding the shopping center.  It is so sad.  Our customers have become true friends and they each come in with a story of how much they are going to miss us.  I know so many of them now ~ it’s such a warm, friendly relationship!  We greet each other with a cheery hello as through the years I have shared preparing for birthday parties, holidays, school starting, school ending…with them and their children!  I have watched their children grow from babies to now starting kindergarten!  They know I will go out of my way to help them and share a laugh and I know they will be happier when they shop with us than if they would go to some other big box store where they do not know or have any relationship with the sales associates.  Five Below truly appreciates their customers and they encourage their employees to show that appreciation.  I am proud to work for an organization that does this, it makes my day feel worthwhile and it allows me to be the helpful, kind lady at the store they all love so much.

I am truly emotional when I think about my last day at the store this Friday.  I have had the privilege of hugging many customers goodbye and they have promised to come see me and shop at my new store, the Five Below in Feasterville.  I am excited to be reunited with one of my previous managers, a true friend, a great worker and loving, wonderful woman, Megan.  It is the knowledge that I will be with her again that makes this whole experience that much better.  But, leaving my store (and I do consider it my store), leaving the customers, but mostly leaving the staff that has functioned as a close family, from Shane and Kayla, to Lisa and John…we have helped each other, laughed together, struggled together, boosted each other, and trusted in each other for quite some time now, leaving will be so hard.  We are a crazy, working family of sorts….I will miss each and every one of them.  I am glad everyone will remain employed with Five Below, they have not let any of us go, and because of that we will still be in touch.  I am very confident of that fact.

I suppose I am a very lucky lady as I have always found myself surrounded by caring, loving, wonderful people at work.  People who have become and remained enduring friends at each of my work experiences through the years.  I never expected that to be a benefit of working “outside the home” but it truly is one of the best.  I am grateful beyond my wildest dreams for the relationships I have built throughout my working life…from real estate, to Verispan, to Cognetx and now at Five Below.  I have learned so much from each and every company, from each and every person. 

Life changes all the time.  As I go to a new store, with many new co-workers and a new customer base, I will take with me all I have learned from each and every position I have held.  I will remember that even though retail workers are given little respect from many outside of retail, we know how hard we work and how varied the tasks are that fill our day and we respect and honor each other.

I hope Feasterville knows how lucky I feel to have landed with them.  I hope Megan knows how thankful I am that she has taken me as part of her staff.  I hope Five Below continues to grow and prosper as a company because they truly offer something special to every community they join; reasonable prices for necessary items, a staff that values their customers, and lots of fun.

Goodbye to Five Below in Newtown, to the store, to my fellow employees, and to the exceptional customers.  Thank you for the past five years.  It’s been so very great!  I've loved being part of the Five Below Newtown experience!!

Will This Winter Ever End?

The wind is blowing through my hair

The sky is dark, the trees are bare

The ice is crunching under my feet

The cars are skidding down the street.

Yes, winter’s here, seems like forever

My soul cries out for nicer weather!

So tired of worrying about the drive.

Just strive to stay alive past five!

The chill goes through, right to the bone ~

All things fun have been postponed

The ice is scraped from the windshield

Aha, clear glass is just revealed!

I start my car and as it warms

I turn on the weather ~ Oh no!! More storms!!

They’re heading straight for us again!!

Not sure how much or just quite when…

If I shut the news will it not be so?

My brain cries out, please, no more snow!!

But snow will come, with sleet and rain

Jeez, winter is a royal pain.

But, like everything it soon will pass

I can’t wait to once again see grass!

To not be cold, to sit outside

Visit the beach and watch the tide

Yes, spring will be here very soon

So no more doom and no more gloom

We’ll ride this out, stay safe for sure

Pretty soon we’ll smell the spring’s manure!!

And as we sit and try to chat

We’ll sniff and say, Yuck, what is that?

We’ll each make a strong, elaborate plea

Being sure to state, “It wasn’t me!”

The smell of spring will waft around

We’ll plant and fertilize the ground

The birds will sing, the bees will buzz

My hair will frizz, all full of fuzz

Just wait, and soon the sun will shine

Staying out until almost 9!

Yes, all things pass, so winter must

On that there’ll be no breach of trust!

An Orange Butterfly

Next month will be five years since I lost my Dad.  In some respects the time seems forever while in other respects, the memories of his last two weeks here, with us, are so very vivid, that I feel as though I lost him yesterday.

My Dad was absolutely central to who I am and what I value.  He was not only my rock, my security, he was my booster and my role model for the type of person I want to be.  He was funny and kind while smart and quick thinking.  He was the life of any party.  He was always trying to look his best, had a proper amount of self respect (without conceit) along with an enormous amount of respect for those around him.  He loved my Mom with all his heart and always told her how beautiful and terrific she was.  He loved my brothers and I and our families completely.  He was filled with pride over our triumphs and heartbroken over our heartaches.   He always made me proud.

After he passed, a friend told me that when I see an orange butterfly, my Dad was especially near.  Over the last five years I have been amazed at the appearance of orange butterflies at times when I either felt the need for my Dad especially strong or when speaking of him.  This was never more prevalent than two weeks ago when my husband and I took a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  We were there to attend the wedding of beautiful friends.  We shared much of the vacation with one of my friends and her husband, (she appreciates her privacy, and I respect that quality, so I will not give her name).  I have known this friend since Kindergarten, which happens to be not only a few years ago but actually a few decades ago.  My friend lost her Dad a year ago from the Saturday we were away: so the timing of this journey was especially heart wrenching for her.  She, similarly to myself, was extremely close to her Dad and feels his loss intensely.  

Naturally, there were many, many times over the 6 days we were together that we talked of our fathers.  There were some memories over which we smiled and others that brought sweet tears to flow.   There were some memories we shared of each others Dads that brought laughter.  The miraculous thing was that almost every single time we spoke, an orange butterfly would flutter around us.  I can hear her say, “Shar, there’s an orange butterfly!!”  Was this just a coincidence? …. Maybe…. But, quite honestly, whether it was or it wasn’t it doesn’t really make any difference.   Whether it really was my Dad’s spirit or just a feeling of love and support from thinking of my Dad and feeling his presence…there is no difference.  Either way, the loving, supportive, strength of character was with me.  There was even a woman selling handmade items by the pool who had at least twenty ladies beach covers for sale.  All were random designs in various colors, but then there was one unique one, a beautiful orange butterfly gracefully flowing on the front. (Naturally I bought that one for my daughter).

Being in Cabo San Lucas was fun and wonderful.  Sharing the joy of my friend’s wedding was touching and heart-warming.   Looking back on the trip my husband and I shared with friends, I had a truly wonderful time.  Although I did feel a bit anxious traveling so far away from my children, (even knowing they are grown and more than capable)…it was just a “me thing”.  But, seeing the orange butterfly, it always appearing and being close by when needed, reminded me of qualities my Dad provided when he was physically here, making me feel stronger, capable and safer. 

I am one very lucky woman to have had the father I had.  When I think of him, which is so very often, and I feel him in my soul, I feel his love.  Just as he always tried to make things okay for me while he was here, I believe he is still trying to do that.  I hear him in things I say, I feel him in my heart, and I know his love is as close as ever.  I am so thankful to have been my Daddy’s little girl.  I am so thankful for the orange butterflies and all the feelings, even the melancholy ones, they bring to the front.  I miss my Dad every day, but knowing I carry him in my heart, and project his spirit to those around me, I am given wings.