Posted originally on Dec 22, 2023 By Martin Armstrong
Americans are planning to increase their holiday spending this year, according to a Gallup poll, which believes Christmas spending in 2023 will be the highest on record since they began collecting data in 1999. The average American estimates they’ll spend on Christmas or other holiday gifts is $975, which is up from last year’s estimate of $923. The largest increase is seen among middle-income households and younger adults, with middle-income households planning to spend $947 on average, up more than $200 from last year. This increase in spending intentions runs contrary to the implications of Americans’ continued pessimism about the economy and ongoing cost of living crisis.
The increase in holiday spending intentions could reflect consumer interest in retailer promotions that kicked off ahead of Black Friday and strong year-over-year growth in sales. Additionally, a recent analysis by the San Francisco Federal Reserve found consumers holding significant, albeit dwindling, “excess savings,” meaning they are prepared to open their wallets over the holiday season despite their budgets.
The holiday season is a multi-billion-dollar event for the retail and travel & hospitality sectors, multi-trillion perhaps when everything is calculated. Nine in 10 Americans plan to partake in holiday shopping. We saw Black Friday through Cyber Mondaysales reach new highs, and spending on retail alone between November and December is expected to reach $966.6 billion. Simply put, Americans prioritize the holiday season as indicated by spending habits.
At our family’s Christmas dinner, you will find a combination of old favorites and new recipes we are trying out for the first time. Some of our favorites come to us from generations long gone now, and have stood the test of time. But it seems each year the cooks in the family try out new things and we very much enjoy the additions. Sometimes we find one that’s a keeper and we will see it next year.
Pull out those tattered, faded favorites and share them with us, as well as the newly discovered dishes you want to try.
I am grateful especially at this time of year for the women who taught me to cook so long ago, my wonderful mother in law, as well as my husband’s paternal grandmother and aunt. I had no idea at the time that they were teaching me a skill that would nourish family and friends in ways other than eating.
Posted originally on the CTH on December 1, 2023 | Menagerie
From today’s earlier Advent post:
Silverbeard the Red
December 1, 2023 12:34 pm
Free speech is great. I will leave the politics out of the Advent thread.
Maybe in exchange you could put up a Protestant thread for those of us who hear the voice of God directly and not through human intercessors? You would benefit from hearing our experiences as well, and it would demonstrate a willingness to support free speech.
It was not my intent to be divisive during this holy and joyful season. I had hoped to offer something to all Christians of benefit during these rushed days. That is what all my posts are meant to do. I regret that it is not to be.
I find the above comment reasonable, and in that spirit I am putting up a post for those who would like to share further thoughts in this season (soon) of Advent from a Protestant perspective. I ask my fellow Catholics to respect this as much as we wish our own viewpoints to be given opportunity and attention.
Please note. This is not an open opportunity for anyone to bash the faith of another. It is not a forum for you to argue theology or Protestant vs. Catholic ideas of salvation. This blog is not a place for religious apologetics, it has a different purpose, and there are thousands of sites where you can do that very thing, if you must. You will not do it here. If it becomes too much to moderate this post, I’ll chalk it up to a bad idea and trash it.
Happy Advent, and may we all find ways to open our doors to the Holy Family seeking shelter this season, ways that will deepen our ability to welcome Christ with love, on Christmas and every day.
Advent is a season of preparation that has a twofold purpose. Advent begins with Evening Prayer I of the Sunday falling on or closest to 30 November and ends before evening prayer I of Christmas. We prepare ourselves not only for the coming joy of our celebration of the birth of the Christ child; we also prepare ourselves for the Second Coming of Christ.
For Catholics, Advent is the beginning of the new liturgical year. The seasons of that year have always led me on a journey with Christ each year, and I gain so much in the consistency of the seasons and readings. We begin with Advent, awaiting the birth of Christ, then celebrate the Christmas Octave and season, Epiphany, and then soon begins Lent, in preparation for Easter. Then, after the Easter season ends with Pentecost, we have the bulk of Ordinary Time until the end of the liturgical year, and Advent again.
The readings at Mass reflect these times in the life of Christ. They take us through his birth, baptism, ministry, Passion, Death, and Resurrection. I find Advent and Lent especially to be times that help me prepare to meet Jesus in deeper and more profound ways.
Many Christian denominations celebrate Advent, perhaps in ways a little different from those of us who observe a liturgical calendar and cycle. But the focus, the point, is to prepare for the coming of Jesus.
We will have posts for each Sunday of Advent, beginning this weekend. I ask that you save political comments for the other posts. Please, give people a place to think about and discuss something else. I hope these posts will be an aid to all who stop in here during this busy season, an invitation to take a moment and find the reason we prepare for Christmas.
I have created this site to help people have fun in the kitchen. I write about enjoying life both in and out of my kitchen. Life is short! Make the most of it and enjoy!
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