Great Expectations and the Melt-down Back to Reality

Christmas 2016         photo ©2012 by r.a.kukkee

Great Expectations for Christmas

It happens every year.  In retrospect, it never fails to amaze me how  many great expectations  are well,  expected  to crystallize magically  in the months, weeks, and days leading up to Christmas, the greatest commercial holiday of the year. Tension grows; it is the great annual spending binge. That might also explain the horror of the rapid melt-down back to reality in mid-January.

The 'holiday' demands  the newest and the  trendiest,  candy-cane dreams, games,  phones, gadgets, tools appliances, and cars.  Presents.  Endless Gifts. The more expensive the better. Problem? For most families, that perfect Christmas is  thousands of  dollars away from  reality and the  paltry pennies in the  all-too thin bank account.

On sale is the hype of the season. Cost is seemingly irrelevant.  Endless  novel devices, computers, multi-thousand-dollar home appliances,  'all compatible with the iPhone,' hot technology and new cars —are advertised and promoted as perfect must-have gift  to be chosen ever so thoughtfully, wrapped-up in huge red ribbons and delivered by Santa himself.  Down the chimney.  Easily-achieved  and financed presents  will meet the insatiable great expectations of the expecting. Maybe.

Great Expectations —and a Big Melt-down?

Great expectations include friendly  commercial advice that you must hurry!   and save $1000.00 buying this or that  even though today's economics  and reality dictate that most struggling families can't afford—in any scenario—to buy that must-have, wonderful device — even if the total price delivered was only $1000.00.

But Wait...there's always a way..."Why can't you buy it?"

Wait, sir...we can make that  $99.95 —or how about  ten bucks. A week? A month?  You choose.  In the 'unrealistic' world of commerce, creative ways to resolve impossible credit,  meet great expectations, fulfill dreams—do the impossible. Let's work together to resolve credit issues, we'll create the ultimate "tailor your purchase" plan at the price YOU want to pay.  Let us get you even further in debt ... let us place dreams of gifts under the tree and that new car covered with big red ribbons out in the driveway, your choice...hell, why not, she'll understand, sir, buy that new pickup truck, for a Christmas present, sir,  it's only $72,000.00, sir, that's only $880.00 a month for the next 84 months...plus delivery plus tax..."Why can't you buy it?"  Doh....In a real life incident,  unbelievably, an eager but surprisingly pushy, inexperienced sales person asked that very question. "You should feel guilty about not buying your wife thatnew car for Christmas, sir, she is worth it isn't she?"  Let us widen the snare further...

The Melt-down to Reality

Melting down  ever closer to reality, maybe  that $10.00/per  gift self-imposed limit for the single-parent mom with two kids  pushed the economic"limit" for dinner down to  mac and cheese...or in Ontario, skimmed  the outrageous electric bill, —but, you say,  commerce has the solution for you?  We give in.  There's always a  sale.  Boxing Day Bonanza. Or The Week After  Sale. You get the idea. Great expectations are seldom achieved.

Back in reality,  single mom sighs and desperately drags the toddlers along to visit the food bank and stops at the Lottery Ticket Office,  where a  budget-killing  $6.00 ticket returns dreams of cool millions and beating the odds and poverty itself.   How promising.

The big melt-down of great expectations, even  hope itself is stirred into the gummy mac and cheese bubbling on the stove... Nothing changed last year, nothing will change this year. Clearly, for the disenfranchised — some things may never change, even in the richest countries on earth.

Anyone want to disconnect from reality yet? Regardless of the unacceptable status quo...

Here at Incomingbytes.com  we  remain optimistic and wish everyone a Merry Christmas, a wonderful holiday  and a Happy, Prosperous New Year. Happy 2017 and all that. Make a New Years Resolution to get A lucky lottery ticket. Hope suggests  there's always next year....Let's go for it.

Is that Incoming I hear?