You must have noticed that the Christmas decorations are rapidly spreading all over the shopping malls, not so subtly signalling another season of extreme shopping and extreme credit card abuse.
This year, of course, you won't be shopping till you drop just for the greater profit of the giant retail companies. You'll be shopping to save the economy from the global capitalist crisis — don't be surprised if the Rudd government passes a law making extreme Christmas shopping mandatory as part II of his "economic security strategy"!
Wesfarmers, which owns Coles, Kmart and Target, enjoyed a 34% rise in annual net profit last financial year ($1.05 billion after tax) but is now worried that sales are slowing in its department stores. Its main competitor, Woolworths, which owns the Big W department stores, made $1.6 billion last year and has the upper hand.
Both these companies want your Christmas shopping bucks. And they aim to get it whether you can afford it or not. Woolworths alone has issued 3.8 million credit cards, contributing in no small way to the record $44 billion Australian credit card debt.
Extreme Christmas shopping has been a corporate advertiser's staple since the Coca-Cola company's Christmas advertising in the 1930s popularised the red and white cartoon image of Santa Claus by US advertising artist Haddon Sundblom.
While it is an urban myth that Santa Claus was invented by Coca-Cola, the depiction of Santa in the red and white outfit did displace the more varied depictions of Santa Claus/Saint Nicholas. Earlier outfits of Mr Claus varied from brown Davey Crockett-like numbers to variations on formal Papal attire. And Santa was more likely to growl, "I'm gonna whack you naughty kids" than do the "yo ho ho!".
But I want to remind all Green Left Weekly readers that you need not enrich the corporate retailers with every pressie you buy this Christmas. Instead, you can give all your best friends and family the gift of a subscription to GLW.
Join the scores of readers who have already taken up our call for $20 ($10 for a seven-issue introductory gift subscription and $10 donation to the GLW fighting fund). Or better still, give a bigger Christmas present to GLW and buy a one-year subscription for someone.
Send the details of the person you would like to give the subscription to, along with your $20 cheque or money order, to Green Left Weekly, PO Box 515, Broadway NSW 2007, or phone it through on the toll-free line: 1800 634 206 (within Australia). You can also make direct deposits into to the fighting fund at: Greenleft, Commonwealth Bank, BSB 062-006, Account No. 901992 or donate online at http://www.greenleft.org.au/donate.php.
So far this year we have raised $168,322 but we have another $81,678 to raise by the end of this year to make our $250,000 target. You can also help us make the target by attending the important fundraising events being organised between now and the end of the year in your city (see page 23 for details).