It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

             I was listening to the proverbial deluge of Christmas carols on the radio during my commute tonight. Most I knew, like Johnny Mathis singing “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas”, and I was singing along. As the words to that particular song rolled through my head and out my mouth I realized how dated it is. Yeah, I know most Christmas carols come from the distant past, but think about this….

            “Take a look in the five and ten” … find one in suburban America – dare ya! There’s Target and Walmart but they’re a far cry from a “five & ten”. The Dollar store is a sham – everything made overseas and not really just a dollar. I remember rolling down the miles of aisles of Ben Franklin and Woolworths in awe of the magnanimous amounts of everything you could ever want for Christmas as a kid. Or find something you could afford for mom or dad.

            “A pair of Hopalong boots and a pistol that shoots” … Betcha can’t find anyone under the age of 10 who knows who Hopalong is or was, heck make it 30. And do kids really want cowboy boots and pistols these days? Or have Wiis and Xboxes filled the gap?

            “Dolls that will talk and will go for a walk” …Not too much has changed here except now they talk to you --- err sorry, interact with you, cry, talk, move and respond to your voice…

            Okay, maybe I haven’t heard the “new” carols sung about how wonderful it is to stroll the aisles of Toys R Us to find the newest version of “Call to Duty” and the realistic replica of an M16 or AK47. Or that fashion set for the "Great American Girl".And then fight through the checkout line to find you’ve maxed your credit card…

Maybe I should just stick to remembering the old days… Ha, found a pic from a Christmas long gone by… If I remember right it was a Hopalong Cassidy 6 shooter set with the hat…. and boots too!!!!  LMAO Sing it Bing!?!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Ev'rywhere you go;
Take a look in the five and ten glistening once again
With candy canes and silver lanes aglow.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Toys in ev'ry store
But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be
On your own front door.

A pair of hopalong boots and a pistol that shoots
Is the wish of Barney and Ben;
Dolls that will talk and will go for a walk
Is the hope of Janice and Jen;
And Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Ev'rywhere you go;
There's a tree in the Grand Hotel, one in the park as well,
The sturdy kind that doesn't mind the snow.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas;
Soon the bells will start,
And the thing that will make them ring is the carol that you sing
Right within your heart.

It IS the carol that you sing right within your heart.... Merry Ho Ho