I know it’s not even Thanksgiving yet and it could have been just THE thing to do on a chilly, gloomy Saturday, but based on my visit to Mayfair yesterday, the economy is going to recover just fine, thank you.

My daughter and I headed over to visit Tosa’s largest taxpayer in search of a black dress. We had all day and figured we’d have the place largely to ourselves. Um, no. The mall was packed. Honestly, you’d think it was mid-December a decade ago.

And it wasn’t just mall walkers and people trolling the halls. People had bags, lots of them. The longest lines were at the cash registers. Don’t these people realize they have no money? This is predicted to be the bleakest holiday shopping season in years. Didn’t they get the memo?! Haven’t they watched the news?!

Here’s my take on the situation: Milwaukeeans (and Tosans) are notorious bargain hunters. If there’s a hint of savings, they’ll be all over it in no time. I think our neighbors know a good deal when they smell one. They know that right now, everything is on sale and they’re not going to miss out on that.

So now my wish is that our local (and maybe even national) news organizations take note and start doing stories about surprisingly brisk holiday sales. Imagine that, good news in the middle of our national financial crisis! Hey, I can dream, can’t I?

I have no idea why, but nothing is as metaphorically cleansing to me as taking down the Christmas decorations. I am here today to say that I am cleansed of Christmas.

Contrary to what I may have led you to believe, I do indeed love Christmas. It’s true that I have issues with when it begins and ends, but I like it.

I’m all in favor of everyone celebrating something. In fact, it’s sort of refreshing when you think about it. Once a year, without government intervention, a great majority of us display our affinity for something that is generally positive.

Now, it’s certainly true that Christmas means different things to different people. For many, it’s a deeply religious celebration proclaiming the birth of Jesus. For others, it’s a time to gather with friends and family. For a lot of people, it’s a combination of both.

No matter how you celebrate, or what you believe, the Christmas season is a very big deal. Tough to ignore even if you’d like to and hard to beat if you are a big holiday enthusiast. In either case, it’s the season that keeps on giving, seemingly for weeks and weeks.

If you know anything about me, you know that I have an incredibly short attention span. As much as I love any celebration, I quickly grow tired of it after a few days and certainly after a week or two. And this is why, on December 26^th, I am chomping at the bit to move on from Christmas. So as not to drive my family crazy, I hold off until after New Year’s day.

This year, I lasted until January 3^rd. At approximately 10:00 am, I found myself, unexpectedly, with a free hour. It was, at that very moment, that I decided that the cleansing must begin.

Why is it that the decorations take hours, sometimes days, to unpack and place throughout the house, but in a scant hour, they can be gathered, packed and stored away until next year? Maybe because, unlike when you unpack the ornaments and wreaths and boughs, there’s no movie to watch or tradition to observe that makes it seem less like a chore and more like a ceremony. Less distraction and more “let’s-get-this-over-with” attitude.

In any case, the first time I walked back into my de-Christmas-ed house, I breathed a huge sigh. In a strange way, I, and my house, felt at peace.

Then I went back out into the world and slammed head-first into the next holiday - Valentine’s Day. Grrr…Can’t a girl get a break?!