Hijack this holiday!!!

So... the other night I was kind-of half watching a show on TV and half messing around online with my log... so I am in and out of the living room... we were watching some CSI New York... and some other stuff... but that is not the point...It is around 8pm [keep in mind it is still September]... and this commercial comes on trying to sell me some Christmas music... It's not even Christmas time yet!

Every year, the Evil Corporate Empire[s] of the world get started hijacking our holidays a little more early... year after year.. after year... Pretty soon I won't even be through chewing on my chocolate rabbit before I have someone stringing up their Christmas lights next door!

It seems there is nothing sacred left anymore. Every 'family' holiday has been invaded by the evil corporate empire[s], leaving little room for an old fashioned life as it once was. I remember when Halloween was a real holiday. My whole neighborhood would shut down. We would have a block party. Each house would have a theme. One year my mom dressed up as a gypsy and she set up a spooky gypsy camp in the back yard where she would tell the 'fortune' of each kid before giving them a candy apple. -REAL- candy apples, people! She didn't drive over to Wallymart and buy ten bizzillion bags of tooth rot junk candy... no... she melted down caramel and put apples on a stick and dunked them in the goo to make candy apples... that was the best!

We also didn't have to worry about having our candy X-rayed at the local hospital too. Hell no! We ate that stuff right then, right there! Oh yeah! We had bags of candy left over that we had to toss out because we couldn't eat any more of it... Oh yeah, and our costumes were home made! YEAH! My mom would bust out the old school sewing machine and make me a pirate outfit! Me and dad would crank up the table saw in the garage and cut out a plywood pirate sword! OH YEAH!

My point, here [in case you were wondering] is that I feel so many kids these days are missing out on two -wonderful- parts about being, well... kids.
#1. Becoming best friends with their own parents.
#2. Exploring the limitless bounds of their own imagination.

Parents are so strung out on time these days. I doubt parents out there would take the time to make a class-a pirate outfit for their kids when they could just drive over to the local Wallyworld and buy one...

Children don't really 'play' anymore. I love where I live. I live on the beach. However, I don't think I have ever seen a single kid out playing in my neighborhood. Ever. I would wager that the kids are indoors, glued to their Xbox or Plastation... kids are losing out on the fundamental element of creativity. It is a pity. No amount of playing Nintendo would ever replace playing fort with my brother or playing 'army soldiers' out in my mothers flower garden with all my little plastic army men...

Our holidays... our lifestyles... our imaginations... and our children have been hijacked!Reclaim yours today! Make them a pirates costume... crash their playstation for a month... and buy them some plastic army men!!!