Black Friday, Cyber Monday, blimey, it's hard not to get sucked into the vacuum of wanton commercialism, though we know we should be spending to boost the economy.
So why not make a conscious effort this first Monday after Thanksgiving to give a little love to local merchants by making at least one or two of your holiday shopping purchases from an independent purveyor?
Perusing the Press Democrat this morning before an ungodly, break-of-dawn indoor Sunday soccer game in which my youngest worked up a terrific post-turkey-day early morning testosterone burn-off, I took a couple of minutes over my cup of tea for a gander at the local merchants' holiday ads.
Although it has become such an unabashed breeze to drag and drop into online shopping carts, are we sure that we are getting what's best for us? Decided en-route to Santa Rosa for this morning's early game that there is something to be said for discussing our seasonal purchases with real-life people, not only to insure that the product fits the bill, but to check on return policies, warranties and repairs and not least, help keep downtown store fonts open and to keep those critical tax dollars within the community.
Another thing that has struck me as rather poignant this holiday season is the sheer redundancy of the traditional cookbook. Favorite recipes will always be there, permanently embossed in full color photos adorning batter-smudged pages, but anything new and inspirational, spur-of-the-moment-style, utilizing the all-important, left-over factor- more often than not has me heading for a rapid online recipe, the simpler the better and a top google pick being the most likely go-to option.
State of the art American kitchens, I've read, are being kitted out with inbuilt, dough-proof internet access for the curious cook. How cool. I'd like one of those. But what will become of the humble cookbook? Will this be the first of the printed word to take a final hike on the cyber highway? If you used a cookbook over Thanksgiving this year, which one was it?
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