We See What You Got For Christmas

Every year the day after Christmas people here in Harper get in their cars and drive around to see what other people got for Christmas. This is possible because folks display their trash so passersby can see the boxes that the items came in. Even if you don't join this little sightseeing parade around town you can't help but notice all the widescreen TV's people got when you're going through town. No matter what size house a fellow lives in, from six bedroom to mobile home, a big TV seems to be a necessity. Washers, dryers, video game players, stereos; folks seem to be getting more and more each year. I reckon if these things came in plain brown wrappers people wouldn't take so much time arranging the display. They would wait until the night before pickup and then set out the trash for morning pickup. But since the advertising is so colorful and dramatic they use it to show off their prosperity (real or faux) for their neighbors to see. I burn my boxes. We can do that here in Harper.

Tales of Harper, short stories and poems about the fictional town of Harper, Mississippi is available on Amazon Kindle

Coming soon: More Tales of Harper (an ebook on Amazon)