Dude....at least make an effort!!!

I know that this will date me but I remember when the Salvation Army bell ringer outside the supermarket was a 'jolly old elf' dressed in a Santa suit, interspersing an occasional 'HO, HO, HO' with the jingle of his bell. Or sometimes it was a woman, snappily dressed in her Salvation Army uniform, responding to a donation with a 'Merry Christmas', a 'Thank you', or a 'God bless you.'

Today the bell ringer was a kid, in oversized jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, sprawled across a folding chair, talking on a cell phone. Santa suit? Not on your life unless Santa has a drastic new look this year. 'Merry Christmas?' Not when it would interrupt an extremely important phone conversation. 'Thank you?' See 'Merry Christmas.' If he wasn't ringing the bell - that must be compulsory in the job description - I would have been tempted to tell him, 'Dude, at least make an effort.'

It's like Halloween. Time was when the trick or treaters were little and cute and dressed in costumes. This year that type of trick or treater was outnumbered by the ones who didn't bother to ring the doorbell, just walked into the front hall; didn't bother to wear a costume; didn't bother to say 'trick or treat' or 'thank you.' They just stood there with open pillow cases and grunted. If I hadn't been walking by at the time, I'm not sure I would have known they were there. I'm not sure how long they would have stood there in the front hall before they gave up and went to stand in someone else's front hall. Again, dude, at least make an effort......

OK enough nostalgia for the good old days for now......