Switch On

I was told today that tomorrow, Saturday, the shopping centre has its big Christmas Lights show.  I queried why they were not doing it alongside the rest of the town including the museum and discovered council efficiency at work.  The Lights switch on requires the High Street road to be closed off, closing off a road requires permission and investigation by the council and comments from relevant users.  This was forgotten!  Such permission is not hurried and the switch on for the rest happens on December 2nd instead, permission granted. 
Now apart from shouting "IT'S NOVEMBER!" and wondering at council competence I wonder at the need for a big lights switch on, the reason of course is MONEY!  Such shops as we possess, including ourselves at the museum, require folks to part with their cash, in our case for a good cause, and they for filthy lucre.  Christmas is a time of worship, the worship of Mammon!
At least now we will not feel guilt at beginning our Christmas grab in November and can look down on others.  I suspect however many other town centres and shopping havens have already offered the masses the 'Bread & Circus's' of entertaining Christmas stress.  I will avoid this by sending gift cards to everyone and letting them stress for themselves, this leaves only an occasional gift to buy and life is easy again.