DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?

FIVE MORE MONTHS AND ITS CHRISTMAS!

How did I come to that conclusion? Well it is the end of July, when all the holiday stuff comes out!

There are two seasons in the direct mail industry and two seasons only: Christmas in July and summer in December! That is how it works and will always work. The problem is that by the time a season does come around, you are creatively spent and sick of the season.

I can remember sitting in my office on a hot July day thinking of ideas for the holiday season. I mean the ac is on high and I’m in a rolled up sleeved shirt and near sweating. Most people would stay away from me because I wasn’t in the holiday spirit. The rub is that you never wore a short sleeve shirt to work with a suit, and that damned tie was always tight!

I was in a Walgreens recently looking for a toy for my pool. I needed something to float in and I found just the thing, an inflatable lounge with a headrest, which allows one to fall asleep in the pool. Since my pool is usually covered by tree shade somewhere ion the surface, about 45%, you can safely sleep without getting a burn, and when you do drift into sunlight, it makes you aware of it with your eyes closed.

Washington Nationals

Walgreen's

As I perused the aisles of the store, with the legions of Walgreens shoppers, I noticed how closely the Walgreens logo resembles the Washington Nationals Logo on a point of purchase ad! This of course took me back to my advertising days and it became an advertising daze. As I continued up and then down the wide aisles filled with junk I don't need, I started to notice the boxes of Holiday cards and small sets of tree lights and small artificial trees. That warm fuzzy feeling of hatred suddenly reappeared in my cold heart of this particularly warn day for merchants pushing their sales.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the holidays because they are cold days, a lot of food with an excuse to eat it and you get to see family and friends. I just don’t want to celebrate in my bathing suit while Santa is dressed in a heavy coat and hat. That reminds me that I play Santa for people with disabilities in December when we should, but the suit is sooo very hot to wear that I must shed a few pounds!

Well, I know the Holidays are in five short months as I mentioned, I just hope I didn’t put you out of the spirit. HoHoHo, and Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah  and Happy New Year!

Where has the time gone?!