Tired of seeing Christmas decorations in the mall before you've finished your Halloween candy? Already dreading that long trip to Grandma's house with the kids? No holiday bonus this year? Florida State University experts can shed some light on recent holiday trends and offer advice that will help your readers skate through the season.
DON'T BLAME RETAILERS FOR THE LONG HOLIDAY SEASONNeil Jumonville, William Warren Rogers Professor of History, has published an article saying people shouldn't complain that retailers have elongated the Christmas season in hopes of selling more merchandise. The lengthy season, which now begins around Halloween, is a product of our culture. With the decline in religion, family and community in American life, we now need more time to fulfill the cultural bonding and spiritual reaffirmation that occurs around the holidays than we did when religion was a part of people's everyday lives.
DROP HOLIDAY BONUSESJerry Osteryoung, director of the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, says employers should not give employees holiday bonuses because they make bad presents and send the wrong message. Osteryoung also has good advice about how retailers can survive sagging sales, and he says retailers should treat their customers just like they would someone coming into their homes for a holiday party. BLUE CHRISTMAS FOR RETAILERSRay Canterbery, professor of economics, says it's beginning to look a lot like a blue Christmas for retailers. The steep slide in the consumer confidence index indicates that consumers are depressed about their current and future economic prospects and will not be spending as much this holiday season. That means retailers will have to try harder to lure customers with lower prices and deep discounts. While consumers may reap the benefits, slow sales indicate bad consequences for other parts of the economy.
COPING WITH THE DEATH OF A LOVED ONESally Karioth, associate professor of nursing, said people grieving over the holidays because of the death of a loved one shouldn't believe they are letting themselves or others down if they can't make the pain go away. She reminds us that the deceased would want family members to carry on and have a good time. If certain traditions conjure up painful memories, such as when Christmas presents are opened, it may be time to change those traditions.
SURVIVING THE HOLIDAYS WITH YOUNG CHILDRENCoco Readdick, associate professor of family and child sciences, has lots of ideas about how to keep children busy during the holidays. She can recommend ways to have children "invest" in the spirit of Christmas so they are not only thinking of themselves and has ideas about keeping your celebration to an appropriate size so the children aren't overwhelmed. Readdick also has tips to keep children happy during those arduous long car rides to the relatives' house.
'FIRST' THANKSGIVING A MYSTERYEdward Gray, professor of history, said the English had festivals giving thanks for successful harvests all the time, and the Pilgrims may well have had such a festival. But was there a "first" Thanksgiving between the Pilgrims and the Indians? Maybe or maybe not. Historians have a letter describing a feast between Indians and Pilgrims, but it appears to describe one of these routine festivals as opposed to a special or unusual gathering.
TWINKLE, TWINKLE, WAS THAT REALLY A STAR?Vasken Hagopian, professor of physics and director of FSU's planetarium, said the simple answer to whether there really was a star that guided people to Bethlehem on the night of Jesus' birth is that there is no explanation. "The star of Bethlehem cannot be explained as an astronomical event, such as a supernova," Hagopian said.
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