how much have you spent?

It’s that time of year again. Suicide numbers will go up, temperature is going down and my wife has no other care in the world than hanging my balls in a tree. Angels, blinking lights and a fat guy with a red suite and a white beard. It’s the celebration of a branded holiday. As I was sipping on a Glühwein this weekend, it occurred to me: all of this forced merry behavior has nothing to do with any birthday of some dude 2000 years ago. No…

Santa Claus is red and white, because some brown lemonade brewing giant decided it would fit better in their ads. We send each other wishing cards because a card printing company tells us its a good idea. Well, it isn’t. Sending or receiving a card has never ever made any positive difference for me. On the contrary. When I get the card, I am supposed to send one back and if I don’t, people say I am killing the spirit of Christmas. Oh come on, if you wouldn’t have sent me a card in the first place, I wouldn’t have to act as if I cared! If you want to send me something, send me frigging shares of Coca Cola or Hallmark.

However, I am not against the whole Christmas thing. I like the wining and dining, together with so-called friends. This year, I will be in good company. We are doing it Italian style. Elio Di Rupo will be cooking and my old friend Silvio Berlusconi has invited us in one of his villas. Elio didn’t seem that interested, until he was told that Giorgio Armani would be coming dressed as Mrs Claus.

Anyway, in case we don’t meet in the crowded streets of Christmas infected London, I wish you spend a lot of money on gifts for your friends who will most likely put it up for sale on Ebay the day after.

Sincerely mine,

Mr Victor Hale

but don’t push it, ladies !

I don’t follow the latest stiches of the fashion industry, but I am quite sure that what I saw this weekend, was not fashionable. I can recognize style and elegance when I see it, which is not difficult, since I have a big mirror in my bathroom which lets me enjoy a wonderful reflection each time I pass it. But enough about my mirror, back to what I saw this weekend.

Together with some friends, I went for a drink. What friends you ask? I am afraid I can not tell you that, since that would stir the financial markets too much. But we were  witnesses to the most disturbing scene. We saw a flock of 15 year old girls, making enough noise, showing of their drunkenness to attract the attention of deaf rapists, dressed in such a way that even thinking of looking at their toes would have displayed what should not be displayed in the middle of the road. I find it hard to believe that their parents were aware of their daughters dress code and / or behavior. For a moment, a feeling of sheer panic started taking me over.

But as always, society is filled with extremes. Not much later, we saw a similar group of young females, but this time, they seemed to have come straight out of a very bad movie from the fifties. Even my grandmother would have called their choice of clothes “old school traditional”. It looked as a failed combination of Amish meets Jehovah.

I wonder what happened to elegant, well bread girls who find it important to at all time be respectable. What is wrong with being seen as female, even as fragile? Did the feminists destroy the self-image of girls instead of making them aware?

All I know is, and this goes for anything, extremes are always extreme, so, don’t push it ladies!

sincerely mine,

Victor Hale