I’m in the belly of the American consumer beast—Mall of America on the first weekend in December.
I’m spending a weekend with my daughter while she enjoys a “child-free get-away.” Although I love hanging out with her, my energy flags by mid-afternoon. She is shopping in Nordstrom’s amongst aisles of glittery sumptuous items such as scarves, jewelry and handbags and has stopped at one of the counters, engrossed in a conversation with a clerk. I walk on, but am besieged by sales people circling me like hawks asking if I “need any help.”
It’s impossible to escape their clutches inside the store, so giving Betsy a signal that I’ll wait outside, I fast-walk my way out to the main hall and spot an empty place on a bench. It’s noisier out here, but at least I can sit and no sales people will harass me.
The place is alight with noise and color. Dazzling silver Christmas trees, tinseled bulbs and red and green wreaths decorate the halls. Holiday music blares. An endless river of people flows by.
Mingled in with Americans, Minnesotans and Canadians are crowds made up of all backgrounds and ethnic groups, wearing diverse apparel, speaking a babble of foreign languages
As I bee-line for the empty seat, a young couple with a baby stand up from the bench, preparing to leave.
The young father tenderly lifts the baby into a stroller. The mother hands the father a bottle which he gently places in the baby’s mouth. The baby’s little hands grasp the bottle, and he drinks. The father’s sweet and powerful look of love catches my attention. He looks up, sees me watching him and beams with pride. I smile.
The moment passes, and the mother finishes packing her diaper bag. The father tucks a blanket around the baby, grasps the stroller handle, and the proud parents disappear into the masses.
I sit down and although the noisy stream of people flows by as before and the glitzy commercial atmosphere remains, everything is just a little different. Despite all the hullaballoo of retail stores and a thousand busy shoppers, the little family has shown me, if only for an instant, the true meaning of Christmas.
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