According to Hofmann: Merry Branded Christmas
Let无毛视频檚 face it, things are going amok.
Now, you can fill in your own opinions relating to that statement 无毛视频� citing everything from the state of affairs of the nation and the world, technology advancing beyond our grasp or the fragility of the human condition.
I, on the other hand, am not as superficial. I see this state of dread as the evolution (or de-evolution) of gifts for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Thursday.
I came to notice that trend while I was stuck at a store for three hours while getting tires put on my wife无毛视频檚 car because my theory of totally flat tires being the perfect snow tires came with some major flaws and costly consequences.
Anyway, I had time to look around and made my way to the holiday section of the store because I found out you can only walk up and down the store无毛视频檚 bra aisle so many times and tell people you无毛视频檙e just browsing the displays before employees start to get nervous and call store security.
The gift section in question has those gifts that come in sets and variety packs from coffee and hot chocolate to hot sauces and brownies.
I call it the Gift Fodder section, and those gifts are normally for teachers, bus drivers, secretaries, coworkers/employees, clients, parole officers, etc. Not to say you can无毛视频檛 wrap up and present gift fodder to friends and family because a Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer ear-wax-removal kit always catches my eye.
Anyway, what really caught my eye recently was how gifts, especially the gift fodder, has been cranked up a notch.
For example, I saw a candy cane kit and, keep in mind, it wasn无毛视频檛 enough to have a dizzying variety of flavors from eggnog to corn dog. One company decided to include a vial of liquid flavoring for each candy cane for dipping like it无毛视频檚 a 无毛视频淏reaking Bad无毛视频� Christmas or something.
Also different were the themes of TV and movies invading traditional staples of the gift fodder like the cookie gift sets that come with a small cast-iron pan, but the pans are shaped like heads of Darth Vader, Storm Troopers and the Mandalorian.
Like, c无毛视频檓on guys, we无毛视频檝e worked so hard to get away from 无毛视频淭he Star Wars Holiday Special无毛视频� for years, and now you无毛视频檙e poking the bear 无毛视频� or Wookie, in this case.
Speaking of space bears, I went to the gingerbread-house section near the gift fodder only to find that the simple one-story structure model is no longer popular. Instead, there are houses themed like 无毛视频淗arry Potter,无毛视频� 无毛视频淪uper Mario Bros.,无毛视频� 无毛视频淧aw Patrol,无毛视频� 无毛视频淭he Office,无毛视频� 无毛视频淔riends,无毛视频� 无毛视频淭ed Lasso无毛视频� and 无毛视频淭he Sopranos.无毛视频�
Okay, I made up that last one, but nothing would surprise me at this point.
A 无毛视频淭ed Lasso无毛视频� gingerbread house? Nothing against that show, but it无毛视频檚 only been around for two years. How much gingerbread-house appreciation does one have for an intellectual property that无毛视频檚 only 2 years old?
Now, when I see changes like those, I start thinking about the evolution of such things, in what stage does it currently find itself, and where could it go from this point.
Sure, I know that companies branding their characters on seasonal products is nothing new, but that无毛视频檚 just what it used to be: branding. They无毛视频檇 slap a logo or a drawing or a photo on something and jack up the price the old-fashioned way.
Now we无毛视频檙e at the stage where the product itself has to be changed to meet the theme rather than the other way around.
And, unfortunately, I really don无毛视频檛 know how far this is going to go. It seems like the sky无毛视频檚 the limit of what can be done next. The sad thing is, it无毛视频檚 not even based on creativity, but a Frankienstienian-style of thinking of, 无毛视频淟et无毛视频檚 mix Christmas stockings with 无毛视频楪ame of Thrones无毛视频� and see what happens 无毛视频� better start printing out the warning labels now.无毛视频�
Ugh! We should go back to giving frankincense and myrrh as gifts, but not gold because we have tight budgets to consider.
If you think I无毛视频檓 out of line, you may be right. Keep in mind, I无毛视频檓 knee-jerk reacting to only a glimpse, and I should be fair and take a more in-depth look at this phenomenon.
I无毛视频檒l start in the bra aisle, and I无毛视频檒l have a better answer for you by 无毛视频� maybe next Christmas.
According to Hofmann is written by staff reporter Mark Hofmann of Rostraver Township. His books, 无毛视频淕ood Mourning! A Guide to Biting the Big One无毛视频nd Dying, Too无毛视频� and 无毛视频淪tupid Brain,无毛视频� are available on Amazon.com.