Sunday 2 December 2007

People, people, everywhere, and not one stops to think

... or do they? They probably do. People.

It's funny, watching people Christmas shopping today, I wondered what it was all about, whether we are just bigger mice on bigger wheels. Signs said: 'Want it, Need it, Buy it'... And people, they bought and bought. It took an age to even get near the car park, let alone find a space. Why was I there? To buy some cards and a birthday gift. I could have waited until tomorrow and done that in my lunchtime. Ah, well.

Not many stopped to listen to the brass band playing (beautifully) in the store. They started with 'Joy to the World', then went through to my favourite carol, 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman', which makes me think of Dickensian Christmases.

On another note, I have fallen in love with Oxford. I had never been there until this weekend. The quadrangles with their perfect lawns, the tall yellow stone, the wood, the towers, the bells, took me back to dreams I had as a child, of spires, studying, silence and secret places. Christ Church was open to visitors – the hall was just lovely, with its huge Christmas tree, and the grounds near Merton College were bathed in tranquility. Utterly gorgeous.
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Listening to: Editors - The Racing Rats

4 comments:

  1. Yep, the silly season of rank commercialisation has definitely descended - everyone's out buying all those things they never knew they needed... Nuts.

    Ah, Oxford - I went there for the first time last year - and loved it - isn't it just beautiful - those mellow stone walls just take you back to other times and places.

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  2. Bigger mice on bigger wheels - strange but true!

    Glad to know you enjoying the festive season :)

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  3. Absolute Vanilla, yes, it is crazy. I recall seeing Christmas things for sale in... August! Unbelievable. I also hate the fact that everything's 'happy holidays' now. Where has Christmas gone? Probably hidden 'neath some special offer chocolates...!

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  4. Hi Sameera, yes, it's funny. I am indeed enjoying it, but not in the way I should.

    Many people seem hell-bent on getting drunk for three weeks, and that's that! Good to have parties (I'm going to a few!) but it's this frenzied buy-buy-buy drink-drink-drink thing that puzzles me. Also, the debt some people fall into is just stupid.

    Hope things are festive there!

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