Welcome to that time of the year when every weekend is filled and our lives are overflowing with excitement, joy, gratitude, blessings — and stress.
Wisconsin truly is God’s country and thanks to our outdoor resources, fall hunting — especially bow hunting for deer — is in full swing. This leads up to Wisconsin’s annual gun deer hunting season, which begins on Nov. 22.
My brother-in-law, Tom, who loves hunting more than any other person I know, said the gun deer season is like, “The Super Bowl, Christmas and Daytona 500” all wrapped up into one. Many Wisconsinites feel the same way, and November is filled with making plans for going to deer camp, finding ways to get off work to go hunting, saving up the money and collecting all the gear necessary for the hunt.
The stereotype is that deer hunting season is a men-only event in which guys lay around a wood stove in a cabin wearing long underwear, drinking beer, eating snacks and playing cards. I’d like to dynamite that stereotype as among my friends and acquaintances I know many women who love deer hunting.
Hunting is a traditional activity for families and friends and it absolutely is a good time. But deer hunters also serve a two-fold purpose. First, they are trimming the state’s deer herd so it’s less of a danger to motorists and the overall health of the herd’s population. Second, they are producing a huge economic influx for the state — including millions of dollars spent on hunting licenses.
Hunting is fun, but it is a difficult, expensive hobby. Of all the weeks in the year, the week of deer hunting is the most physically demanding for a lot of hunters. The benefits to the state overall are largely overlooked. I think deer hunters deserve praise as herd managers and conservationists.
Families that participate in hunting are on that increasingly accelerating treadmill that makes up the last two months of the year.
During deer season there is Thanksgiving, hugely anticipated Black Friday sales and Cyber Monday. Thanksgiving is a national holiday and families are often rushing to two or more gatherings in one day. Black Friday shopping is an annually anticipated event that hardcore shoppers look to with the same anticipation that hunters have for opening day of deer season.
Cyber Monday has been picking up steam as a shopping sensation because online retailers provide incredible savings on quality items. First, on Cyber Monday you don’t need to leave your house and fight crowds. You can do all the shopping you want on your smart phone. What online retailers have done is created special shopping portals online. The savings isn’t always about the price of the item, but the additional discounts if a shopping cart reaches a benchmark total. “Cash back” has become a big part of some of these offers.
I don’t advocate spending money during Cyber Monday unless you’re buying an item that is impossible to duplicate with a local purchase. The problem with buying anything online is that you don’t get the customer service or product support that you receive at local businesses. Shopping local is good for the hometown economy. Furthermore, you don’t have to deal with shipping. Each dollar spent locally circulates in the community. If you spend money outside of the community, those dollars are gone and not helping neighbors, other local groups or institutions. Making the commitment to shop local is one simple thing a person can do to be kind and respectful to their neighbors.
After all of these big events in November, December builds into the “The Holidays.” This includes all of the holidays surrounding Christmas and the coming of the New Year.
The build-up to Christmas is epic. There’s more shopping, meal planning, travel planning, clothing decisions, holiday concerts, etc. And for parents with middle- and high-school-aged children, there’s a switch in sports seasons, which brings more travel and nightly events.
Mentioning travel planning for Christmas is important because, like Thanksgiving, families are trying to visit several locations on one or two weekends. It’s more than planning gift lists. There are food and beverages to be made, decorating to do and ball games, church services and programs to attend.
The Christmas season includes four other meaningful events tied to different religions, ethnicities and cultures: there’s Hanukah, Kwanzaa, La Posadas and the Chinese New Year. Indeed, not everyone marks these separate events, but they are part of the lives of others in the community.
Finally, there’s “amateur night” — also known as New Year’s Eve. When I was much younger I participated in the “amateur night” portion of this holiday, which included going out to one or more local taverns on New Year’s Eve and ringing in the New Year with several 12-ounce doses of good cheer. Now New Year’s Eve, for me, anyway, is tied more to watching football with friends and family while eating rich, delicious food.
After two months of running a social calendar that looks like training for a hot-dog eating contest, it’s no wonder that on Jan. 1 we’re supposed to resolve to change something about our lives. Many people choose something attached to being healthier.
Big surprise.
May all have a safe and enjoyable season of holidays and upcoming special events. And as my mom always used to say, “Don’t forget, there’s already salt in the mashed potatoes.”
— Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.
