It's starting to look a lot NOT like Christmas. . .

[enid602]

. . here in Phoenix. VERY few houses decorated, little or no civic decorations, no canned carols in elevators, no soft rock Christmas songs on the radio. I just now saw an Escalade with a modest red bow on the front; the same SUV could have easily accommodated five sets of reindeer antlers in the past.

Here in Trumpland, mind you. It must be settling in among Trump voters that massive Social Security cuts and 'phased out' Medicare are for real.

[Warpy]

1. Not mich joy here in true blue NM next door, either

While it's been nice not to hear the canned Xmas Muzak everywhere, the only place I've seen a tree is at my doctor's office, a mini tree at the receptionist counter.

I suppose there are obligate fake pine boughs at the mall, but I don't go there this time of year.

One house here has lights. The whole 'hood used to be ablaze, the tackier the better. Now it's just one strand of sad Xmas icicles on one house. They were left up from last year, so she just had to plug them in.

[enid602]

5. yes

I don't miss the lack of commercial Christmas decorations and songs, but it really says to me that something is afoot. I think people can feel it.

[Warpy]

9. I've noticed it's gotten quiet

The noise level on the street and in the stores has gone way down. It's not as quiet as it was on 9/11 or during the Cuban Missile Crisis, but it's a lot quieter than it should be.

Yeah, everybody knows something is up and it's not good and we the people are going to take it on the chin, as usual.

[doc03]

2. This morning I heard a guy at the gym say he feels things are going to

get a lot better Jan 20th when we get our new president.

[Achilleaze]

4. The Russians are in full agreement with your gym mate

Russians think it will be peachy keen to have a Republican puppet in the White House.

[enid602]

6. thx

Thanks. I feel better now. I'll have to keep that in mind.

[doc03]

7. This may cheer you up some too it was in West Virginia

[PasadenaTrudy]

3. I'm seeing lots of decorations

and lights here in my SoCal area. Hearing Xmas music too, unfortunately. I'm going to hear some of the good stuff next week, Medieval music played on period instruments

[democrank]

8. 20 degrees and snowing here in north central Vermont.

Tomorrow I hope to get out in the woods and find my usual "Charlie Brown" tree, something stuck in a clump of bigger, better trees. The uglier, the better, since I like a challenge. I have a half dozen antique ornaments, a twinkling, 1930`s star for the top, and the best part....real cranberry and popcorn garland. Each year when it`s finished, I think it`s the most beautiful tree I`ve ever seen.

It`s a tough year for a lot of people. Maybe we can each try to make it better for someone.

~PEACE~

[riversedge]

10. I really do not think folks are tuned into the Medicare and SS cuts yet. I was out yesterday

and got to talking to some folks in the mall as I waited--actually not a lot of folks shopping. And Santa was in the mall--which was the reason I went -with a free bag of candy also. Anyway, folks not buying much. It is a big mall-only one in the city of abut 65,000.
I brought up the fact of SS cuts and got met with black stares. Too busy to listen to news they said.

[kimbutgar]

11. My mother in law lives in Arizona

She was so upset that Hillary lost. She wanted to live to see her first woman president. At 85 she told me she probably won't live to see it. Anyway she'' coming to spend the holidays with us in California because one of her daughters families are big orange hitler supporters ( who live paycheck to paycheck struggling) and the other daughter was a Hillary supporter but her husband and two over 18 grandsons voted for Putin's orange puppet.

I look forward to giving her a very California liberal Christmas!

[enid602]

12. relatives. . .

What gives with that? My Trump lover relatives are unemployed, and I am sure at least qualify for food stamps. But they're fundies, so anti choice above all. They'll have nothing over and above SS and Medicare: I suspect that SS payments in the future won't even be enough to cover our monthly insurance costs once Medicare phases out.