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| Great place in its heyday: Viking Plaza Mall, Alexandria (kxra image) |
You entered the shopping mall in Alexandria and had your spirits instantly elevated. Remember? This applied on most any day between Thanksgiving and Christmas. On weekends you might see recognizable media people from the area there. It was a "happening." The jingle bell sound at the donation points.
Whether you were there to spend money or not, it was uplifting. The shopping mall had ambiance. I took for granted that such malls would remain a staple of American life. All our systems back then, pre-digital or early digital, lacked efficiency and convenience compared to today. So I suppose we have moved forward. But the Christmas "happening" feeling at the mall was precious. I remember being at Rosedale once when a retro rock 'n' roll group was performing at the center. People swarming. Seems like the atmosphere had intangible benefits for our collective spirit, our humanity.
I was surprised to learn that malls were hitting the skids. At first I thought it might be exaggeration. But it became most real. The Alex mall became dormant and then rebounded a little, though it was nothing like in the past. It was worth walking through. Mainly I did this just to check how it was doing. I used to buy my Civil War magazines at the bookstore there. A couple years ago I checked downtown Alex to see if I might find such magazines available, and could not. Then again, I'm aware that print-based media have been fading just like the malls. I could get a subscription online but I do not buy anything online.
We all had to adjust
I finally got dragged into using debit cards but I do not have a credit card. I remember George Ure of "Urban Survival" writing a few years ago that some older people were resolving to just keep doing things the old way. Fear of disruption I suppose, and I was inclined that way myself to a degree. Ure wrote that these efforts ultimately end up fruitless for everyone. We get swept into the new ways whether we like it or not. Get on the train.
I finally got pulled into doing paperless bill payments. I was scared of that for a long time. Then I held my nose and jumped into the pool, in effect. Went better than I expected. A friend of mine recalled signing up for electronic bill pay with a Morris-based concern back when the practice was new, and he was shocked to find he was charged a late fee one month. Late fee? When you're signed up for electronic bill pay? My friend happens to be a lawyer. He got that matter cleared up pretty quickly. The lesson might be: don't jump on board with these new systems when they're brand new. Wait for the bugs to get worked out.
Jim Morrison at the old Sun Tribune newspaper had the same attitude about new tech with equipment. Quinco Press in Lowry acquired an "image-setter" when the device was just off the drawing board, and had problems. Jim cited this as an example of his wisdom. The tech aspect for newspapers began evolving so fast, starting in about the mid-1980s, it almost seemed counterproductive trying to keep up with it. Photography? Our systems in past times come across like caveman paintings now. Shoot arrow at the running buffalo.
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| My family loved dining here, at Viking Plaza |
A big question: when the current crisis is over - I think we can assume it will end - will we actually congregate more in public again? Will we relish some human contact again? Will kids be totally happy crowding into their school buildings again? Will we return to our church sanctuaries? I guess in Murdock there's a new church where they worship Norse gods, unless I was inebriated when that news broadcast was on.
Thor and Odin, eh?
What's up with the people of Murdock? You can keep tabs by talking with Mary Holmberg. It's a white supremacist group that has invaded, I guess. How much do you want to bet those people aren't really interested in worshiping Norse gods? Thor and Odin? I'm sure Sons of Norway will not be forming a bond with this "church." I imagine the church has an agenda far different from spirituality.
My message to the Murdock town council: You should have just voted "no" and let the chips fall where they may. History will judge you. A friend tells me the town council probably had a common problem: a lawyer who said "well, this is what you have to do or else we might get sued."
Good grief, are you afraid of Rudy Giuliani coming along?
I told my friend it was remindful of when we had our high school principal get in such serious trouble. A lawyer probably told the board: "You can't terminate this guy because we might get sued." Well, President Trump sent out his "legal strike force" and how did they do in the sue fest? One win on a matter of slight importance, and a mountain of losses.
Lawyers for these public entities are just scared of their own shadow. They are afraid a lawsuit might be a career-killer for them. It's selfish. There is such a thing as standing on principle and being proud of it. And when you do that, the law will most likely come around to your side anyway.
All the king's horses and all the king's men cannot help Trump now. The pedigree of the lawyers does not matter. I'm not sure who is more senile, Rudy Giuliani or Dianne Feinstein. Amazing that we allow ourselves to be ruled by leaders who are so old. Or in the case of Trump, so (fill in blank). Such incredibly weird times. I become weary even writing about it.
A more confined holiday
So Christmas is near. But it seems the full-fledged recognition of the holiday doesn't set in until just 2-3 days before. In the past it seemed wide-open between Thanksgiving and Christmas. You could play your best-liked Christmas songs right after Thanksgiving if you wanted. I had a pile of CDs I'd start playing soon after Thanksgiving. Today that might seem strange. Don't know why.
"Black Friday?" I think maybe the term is in decline. I never liked it. I was groping for a way to describe my dislike and then my fellow newspaper person John Stone of Glenwood helped me. He wrote that the term sounded "somber." Not an appropriate mood in line with the holidays.
I'm sitting at home as I write this, where I'm spending about 98 percent of my time now. It's the norm among us now.
You can build the Christmas spirit by calling up an old Andy Williams TV Christmas special on YouTube. There they are in their prime: Andy, his parents, his brothers, his wife Claudine and the Osmonds.
"Somber" might describe my mood when calling up a Bob Hope Christmas special from the '60s, from Vietnam. How sad to see the mass of young men in his (captive) audience, young men who were going to be subjected to so much suffering and possible death. Those were my growing up years, what made me cynical and doubting. I cut my teeth as a writer during Watergate.
My podcast for December 11
I invite you to visit my "Morris Mojo" podcast. I continue with some thoughts on the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I give a tip of the hat to our Willie's Super Valu here in Motown. Kudos to them for keeping krumkake in stock! I guess they spell it krumkaka (phonetically). I also share about the foreboding nature of what's left of the Trump presidency. Very unfortunate. Here's the podcast permalink:
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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