I’m a little bit disappointed. Usually, the pre-christmas shopping spree leads to at least a handful of interesting discoveries, with respect to shoppers or the products they bought. But this year? Hardly anything exciting to report from my ventures into consumer wonderland, maybe apart from the almost strange impression that the age of “Wham-christmas” seems to be over. I heard it only twice this year.

It’s not that people aren’t in holiday shopping mood anymore. But they, just as the marketers, don’t seem to be quite as willing to opt for experiments as they were in the past. There might be a correlation with the recently passed reform bills, which, in the expectation of stilll too many people are the official declaration that poverty, big time, looms over Germany now.

But lack of cristmassy enthusiasm could, on the other hand, simply be climatically induced, as this winter seems to become as cold as the summer was hot. I literally drove through a snow storm at Frankfurt Airport today. So at least we won’t have to listen to Bing Crosby dreaming of a White Christmas this year.

Speaking of orange trees in LA… I think there is an immediate lack of good new christmas carols these days. I wonder if EndeMol entertainment can’t find a way to create a tv show around this theme ;). Well, I think I will be able to find an hour or so for a final entry of 2003 during the upcoming festivities. But just in case I don’t…