Tag: Christmas

Give trust and grace to others. It’s the holidays

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Dec. 24, Anthony Elia, director of Bridwell Library and associate dean for Special Collections and Academic Publishing at SMU Dallas, for a commentary about how we should be more forgiving and understanding during the holidays. Published in the Dallas Morning News under the heading: Give trust and grace to others. It’s the holidays: https://tinyurl.com/mr3k33hk

​Last Christmas, I attended a Sunday service at one of our local big congregation churches. During the sermon, the lively preacher spoke in that folksy cadence and animating spirit to deliver the weekly message. In the pew in front of me sat a distinguished-looking man in a storm-gray suit, with a shock of white hair. After listening to the preacher for a bit, the man bent toward his wife, rolled his eyes, and mouthed the word “faker!”

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A Christmas story — with no commercial interruptions

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Dec. 24, Michael Davis, economics professor at the Cox School of Business, SMU Dallas, for a nostalgic read at the intersection of a Letter-To-Santa and a child’s lack of information about brand names because — well, commercial influencers are mostly missing from contemporary kid media culture. Published in USA Today with the heading A Christmas story — with no commercial interruptions: http://bit.ly/34H91X8 

I’m not going to tell you this is the best holiday season ever. COVID-19 has killed more than 1.7 million people around the world, nearly 11 million Americans can’t find work, the U.S. national debt will soon exceed $30 trillion and our politicians claim that their opponents hate puppies. I’m an economist. I know these things.

But here’s something I’m very thankful for: Our 5-year-old had a hard time writing her letter to Santa Claus. I know it seems weird, but it turns out her struggle is a happy reminder of how modern life can be better. Here’s why.

Despite what her grandmother and aunts think, she’s not that different than other kids. She’s not some emerging saint, selflessly spreading holiday cheer to all. She likes stuff. More toys and candy are better. She is what in economics we call a “rational consumer.”

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