Merry shopping season to you …

Frontiersman editorial board

With Thanksgiving now just behind us, the "holiday season" now kicks into high gear. Of course, to Americans, the holiday season is really the high-intensity shopping season. The five biggest shopping days of the year happen between now and Christmas, and this year's shopping season is getting mixed predictions -- as it always does.

Some economic analysts say it will be better than last year. They point to the fact that consumers last year were still very much in a state of shock and uncertainty following the terrorist attacks. Those attacks also delivered a severe and immediate blow to the economy. While the economy is still not in recovery, these analysts feel consumer confidence is up, so sales should be up as well.

Other analysts are a bit gloomier. A continuing cycle of layoffs means many families have less to spend this year. Also, investor confidence in major corporations has been rattled by a string of scandals. While some indicators are up, the economy remains in trouble, and many individual states will be running in the red in the coming year. All of these factors point to what may be another cautious year at the cash register.

What analysts haven't looked at is how our attitudes about the holidays have changed -- or if they've changed, for that matter. Last year people may have been more thoughtful about the holidays in terms that couldn't be punched up on a 10-key.

Many people said they bought less, but that they had a good holiday because they focused upon "more important things." Will we remain focused upon those more important things for long, or will we return to summing up Christmas by comparing credit card bills in January?

This is an easy editorial to write. Many newspapers around the country will have something similar during the holiday season. Maybe we ask this question so often because it matters, though.

Maybe what we're really asking is, "What do our holiday habits say about us?" Maybe we wonder if Christmas has become to commercialized because we believe it has, and we don't like it, but we also can't figure out how to break the cycle.

We don't want to teach our children to be overly materialistic, but then we don't want them to feel left out when their friends score big on Christmas.

Still, what do you remember most about your own childhood, the things your parents bought for you or the things they did with you? Happy holidays.