I went Christmas shopping yesterday and confirmed what my wife had been telling me – namely, that the stores and malls were largely empty. I  went to one of the few remaining malls in the St. Louis area – the Galleria – and had no trouble parking and no waiting anywhere.  It was hardly as crowded as a normal Saturday would be.

Now, the Galleria has been one of the attack spots for Black Lives Matter, and I thought perhaps people were staying away for that reason.  But my wife said all the stores have been empty, too.  She hasn't had to wait for anything.

Is this happening all over the country?  If so, what does it mean?

The economy is rising, and we should see a good Christmas for retailers.  If we are not, there has to be a reason.  Is the public shopping online these days?  Undoubtedly more so than in the past, but it still shouldn't empty the stores and malls. I fear that people aren't in the Christmas spirit this year.

My block is devoid of Christmas decorations and lights this year.  Granted, I live in the blue city of St. Louis, where probably ninety percent of my neighbors voted for Hillary Clinton.  Are they so depressed that they can't celebrate Christmas this year?  Or is it something else?

Is the Trump economic boom ending?  Or are people so angry and depressed that they just don't feel the Christmas spirit?

Whatever the case, it is cause for concern.  Either the economy is starting to tank or the American public has been so saturated with the ferocity of the political war that people just don't care.  Neither is good for this country.  There clearly is no optimism.

Part of what drove Richard Nixon from office was the endless drumbeat of negativity from the media.  People were so sick of hearing about Watergate that they just wanted it to stop, and the spineless GOP pulled backing at a critical time from Nixon.  We got Gerald Ford, a lackluster guy who couldn't inspire a doorknob.  In the end, the public was willing to "give Jimmy Carter a try," and the rest was history.

It's happened like that before.  The mainstream media will keep pushing, keep hounding, keep ruining people's good times and generous spirits.  Depression and cynicism will grow, and eventually, people will tire of being miserable – even while the economy is growing and we should be in high times.  So support for Trump will erode until he is forced out.

That's the thinking, and if the evidence of my senses is to be believed, it may be working.

Mattel backs this up.  From the article:

The toymaker behind such brands as Barbie, Fisher-Price and Fijit Friends said in a regulatory filing on Monday that it expects a poor holiday season, a worrisome admission coming with only two weeks before Christmas. Mattel said in the filing it will likely have to write-down inventory and heavily discount merchandise for the season because of sales now expected to decline by a mid-to-high single digit percentage. ...

"Arch-rival Hasbro (has) recently told investors that holiday sales would take a hit this year, pointing to factors such as the recent Toys 'R' Us bankruptcy.

Mattel hinted at that in the filing and said it "will continue to be negatively impacted by key retail partners moving toward tighter inventory management." The company's problems stand in contrast to the overall toy industry's good year, with sales are up 3% through the first nine months of the year, according to NPD Group. Many smaller brands have been running away with the prize this year."

So toy sales appear to be down.  Or at least the big brands.

It should be pointed out that Black Friday sales were up, but only in the e-commerce areas; brick-and-mortar sales were down.  That bodes ill for small businesses, which cannot compete with Amazon or other massive corporate online outfits.  It's strange; the Millennials are forever complaining about corporations, yet they do all their business with them, ignoring the small businesses.  And so many want socialism, thus having only one retail source.  If corporations are so bad, why not support the small shops?  Why support the notion of a single giant corporate entity?

Christmas tree sales are down, too.

The article blames the Obama recession for reducing plantings and rising tree prices, which have stagnated sales, but is that necessarily the case?  While prices are up, it is still a minor expense, and a people full of joy would gladly pay it.  I fear that many don't have enough Christmas cheer to go to the trouble this year.

And of course, the media won't call it Christmas.  Who can get in the spirit when it's a holiday tree?  Martin Luther King Day is a holiday, too, but it hardly rises to the heights of Christmas, and that for a reason: Christmas is a spiritual holiday, a celebration of the birth of Jesus, the Savior.  The media, schools, and the left have done their level best to Grinchify the meaning of Christmas, to make it just a day to get drunk and wallow in avarice.

In fact, the U. of Minnesota banned any displays remotely related to Christmas.  For example, the memo (which was supposed to be kept from the public) called for the following:

In general, the following are not appropriate for gatherings and displays at this time of year since they typically represent specific religious iconography:

Santa Claus, Angels, Christmas trees, Star of Bethlehem, Dreidels, Nativity scene, Bows/wrapped gifts, Menorah, Bells, Doves, Red and Green or Blue and White/Silver decoration themes (red and green are representative of the Christian tradition as blue and white/silver are for Jewish Hanukkah that is also celebrated at this time of year).

Joy is a powerful thing, and people will do a lot to get it and keep it.

If this is correct, the media and the liberals in academia are the Grinch who stole Christmas.  Stole the feast, stole the presents, the decorations, and the log for the fire.  All of it.  I do believe that this is what they intended to do.  Don't expect them to bring it all back, at least not until one of their own is put on the throne.

Read more from Tim and friends at The Aviary www.tbirdnow.mee.nu.