"Wishing Big" For The Holiday Season

I am going to have to write to the big-wigs at Sears. Or callthem.What's the idea, anyway? What kind of a message is that to sendduring the holiday season? Wish big?But that's exactly what the Sears television commercials aresuggesting -- wish big. Then again, why not?People in this country are already living beyond their incomesand are charging all of those lovely 'extras' to their creditcards. So why not wish big at Christmas time? By all means,spend your available cash on necessities like food, shelter andclothing. And then put that expensive piece of jewelry -- or alarge-screen television -- or a computer complete with a $4,000color laser printer -- on the credit card and pay it off overthe next two or three or four or five or ten years. If you dothat, you'll feel better. Much better. Then you can do it againnext year and extend that payment for another ten years.Children are living with inflated expectations about what they'should' want for Christmas, too. Toys? Books? Dolls? Stuffedanimals? Certainly not. Expensive electronics. Games. Ipods. Acomputer for their rooms so they can roam the Internet and be atarget for every sexual predator out there. That's the thingchildren need. Not something which will challenge theirimaginations and their creativity and their thinking skills.Materialism and consumerism and capitalism. That's what weshould have more of in this world. That's what people need toget them out of debt and back on the road to financial solvency.That's what people need to help them be healthy and live morecomfortably. After all, if people are busy working to pay forthose "wish big" items, they won't have the time or the energyto worry about what the politicians or the big corporations aredoing behind their backs.Wish big, indeed.Well, I can 'wish big' too. Here's my idea of 'wishing big' for this holiday season --1. I wish that people would be nicer to one another. You know --the old 'golden rule' -- treat others the way you would want tobe treated. Then maybe we could say that certain things nolonger exist: CEOs who pocket huge salaries while they squandertheir employees' retirement funds, as well as other types offraud and theft, not to mention wars and murders and rapes andchild abuse and spouse abuse and elder abuse.2. I wish that those people who are intolerant of other people-- whether it's because of skin color or lifestyle or economicstatus or religious beliefs -- would learn to be a bit moretolerant. Even a slight increase in tolerance would make theworld a better place.3. I wish that all of those people who are victims of naturaldisasters (tsunami, hurricanes, earthquakes) could have plentyof food and warm blankets and sturdy shelters and money torebuild their homes and their towns and their villages.4. I wish all of those people who are sick and dying and in paincould find a cure for their ailments or relief from theirsuffering.5. I wish that those senior citizens -- and younger, people, too(especially those families living without health insurance) --who have to make a choice between buying their medicine andbuying groceries would not have to choose but would be able toafford both.6. I wish all of those people in the world who are hungry couldhave an abundance of food, and I wish all of those people in theworld who need shelter could have a home to call their own.7. I wish all of those who feel lonely and unloved and unwantedcould find find comfort in the love and companionship of friendsand family and neighbors and the community around them.These are a few of my ideas about 'wishing big' for theChristmas season.What are yours?© 2005 LeAnn R. RalphLeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the books "Cream of the Crop(More True Stories from Wisconsin Farm)" (trade paperback, Sept.2005); "Christmas in Dairyland (True Stories from a WisconsinFarm" (trade paperback 2003); "Give Me a Home Where the DairyCows Roam" (trade paperback 2004); "Preserve Your Family History(A Step-by-Step Guide for Interviewing Family Members andWriting Oral Histories" (e-book 2004). You are invited to readsample chapters, order books and sign up for the freenewsletter, Rural Route 2 News -- http://ruralroute2.com