Eternal Optimist

There is a reason for the season. I get frustrated when people declare the cliche that Christmas is all commercialized, that the true meaning of Christmas is lost within the frenzy of materialism and so forth. It honestly makes me want to sit them down and lecture. Granted, I am a person of faith and an optimist / idealist. I know that greed and materialism are at the center of many shallow people's existence. There are plenty of people who take gifts for granted and do not appreciate what has gone into them. At the same time, by and large, the people that I know genuinely care about Christmas. Just because they are excited about getting gifts doesn't mean that the item received is all that they are excited about. It is interesting to see what people pick for me, and it is equally interesting to me to figure out what I think other people would want.



I work in retail, at a small store called Williams-Sonoma. Although it is a very big company, the store itself is incredibly homey and personal. I have been at the Naperville store for three years now and each year I reach the same conclusion: I like people. I like the people that I work with, I like most of the people that come into the store, I like the things we carry and truly enjoy sharing those things with other people. In fact, there is a sense of satisfaction when I get to recommend a product that I know well and someone else buys it. It is almost like being able to give the gift myself in a way. This isn't to say that I don't get frustrated with people; I do! Or that all of our products are absolutely the best; they aren't! It is just that after working long days with a packed store I realize that being tired is often the only casualty.



Furthermore, Christmas opens the door to reconnect with people and to show others that you think of them and care about them. There aren't a lot of days set aside to do that. In fact, I can't think of a single other holiday where you do little things for people that you appreciate or send out cards to all of the people that you know will love to hear from you. It is a powerful thing, the sheer momentum of the Christmas season. It pushes people to go out, make their way through crowds, jump through hoops to get the right things, and then be forced to slow down and enjoy the day itself.

Again, I know that I am an optimist. I know that I have a somewhat rose-colored view of the world at times. No matter how many times I am confronted with harsh realities, I continue to make my way back to the way I feel things should be. I feel a sense of responsibility about insisting that life doesn't always have to be so harsh. Honestly, Kevin was a big part of me feeling secure in voicing my ideals. If I can't strive for that happiness, or if I feel that it isn't possible to acheive that happiness, then what am I doing here?