On Saturday morning Neill and I did our big Christmas shop for our family.  Though on our way out of one store and moving onto another, we almost literally ran into Santa!  Santa informed us, “Santa LOVES when people hold hands!”  I said thank you, of course.  Turning to my dear husband, my hand still in his, I remarked, “Aw, that was sweet!”  Simultaneously he said, “Wow, that guy was creepy!”  Opposites attract I suppose.

That funny incident aside, it was a mostly uneventful Christmas shopping experience. 
Crowded and chaotic, yes. 
People bustling about from store to store. 
But the usual amount of the frantic vibe around this time of year. 

When my sister was in college at Syracuse University and I was still in high school, Maureen sometimes worked at a department store at Summit Mall in Fairlawn, Ohio.  Kaufmann’s (since bought by Macy’s) was a nice department store and would hire additional workers to help out in December.  She was a “floater” and would be assigned to various departments, wherever they needed more people that day.  A great job for a college student home for break. 

Except Maureen had to deal with the public right around Christmas acting like, well, complete and total jerks at times!  Because she was a seasonal worker and didn’t work on commission, she would even have fellow stressed out workers all over her about using their particular employee number to ring up sales.  The conflicts came from all sides!  I have fond memories of Maureen coming home from work and regaling us with stories about what she had experienced at Kaufmann’s that day around the dinner table. 

This time of the year can be difficult. 
You know that already, but that is my thought this week. 
It’s stressful for people at school and at work and at home. 
Let’s do our best to be especially kind—yes even to mall Santas and especially to retail workers. 

Love,
Pastor Lauren

Photo by Ron Dauphin on Unsplash

P.S. The photo above is The Cleveland Arcade, in beautiful Cleveland, Ohio.  Opened in 1890, it was America’s first indoor shopping center (and the Christmas decorations are always lovely)!

Thursday Thoughts 12/7/23