BALMS AWAY AT THE MALL HOLIDAY SHOPPING SOOTHES.Byline: Kathleen Sweeney Staff Writer VALENCIA - A week before the traditional start of the holiday season, shoppers are wrapping themselves in the Christmas spirit, anxious for emotional warmth and some sort of normalcy nor·mal·cy n. Normality. Noun 1. normalcy - being within certain limits that define the range of normal functioning normality after months marked by terror, bloodshed blood·shed n. The shedding of blood, especially the injury or killing of people. bloodshed Noun slaughter; killing Noun 1. and fears about the future. Some are finding that at Valencia Town Center, where toy soldiers, dangling lights, Santa's chair and a giant American flag welcome shoppers and the sound of the running fountain offers a sense of comfort and familiarity. It's a place, experts say, that the young and old can eat, listen to music or sit on a bench and watch shoppers search for the perfect Christmas gift - it's normal. ``I think people are gearing up and there is an anticipation (for the holidays) ... there is a desire to have a level of comfort,'' said Kathleen Gill, senior market manager at Valencia Town Center. That's needed as the country struggles to recover from the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and even more so after American Airlines American Airlines Major U.S. airline. American was created through a merger of several smaller U.S. airlines and incorporated in 1934. It continued to buy the routes of other airlines, becoming an international carrier in the 1970s; its routes include South America, the Flight 587 crashed Monday in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , killing more than 260 people. Reef Karim, a psychiatrist at University of California, Los Angeles UCLA comprises the College of Letters and Science (the primary undergraduate college), seven professional schools, and five professional Health Science schools. Since 2001, UCLA has enrolled over 33,000 total students, and that number is steadily rising. , Neuro Psychiatric Institute, said people are having a difficult time accepting that the world is not as safe as it was before Sept. 11, and everyone is affected by it differently. Those who lost someone in the attacks, walked through the site of the World Trade Centers or were working in or near the buildings, are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mental disorder that follows an occurrence of extreme psychological stress, such as that encountered in war or resulting from violence, childhood abuse, sexual abuse, or serious accident. , Karim said. This causes flashbacks, nightmares and heightened sense of awareness. The majority of others are suffering from anxiety, which causes feelings of helplessness and uncertainty with their surrounding environment, he said. ``It's almost like the protective cocoon cocoon: see pupa. (of) living in this country has been violated,'' Karim said. To ease these feelings, people head toward places that are familiar, including the mall or the movie theater. These are comfortable places for many and often close to home. ``A lot of people feel good about themselves when they go,'' Karim said. ``It gives you a sense of normalcy.'' Shopping also relieves anxiety, especially during the holiday seasons, and gives families a place and chance to spend time together, Karim said. The Valencia Town Center hangs its decorations a week before Thanksgiving to encourage customers to shop and then come back on the holiday weekend with family members, Gill said. It also wants customers to feel that Christmas spirit, and the arrival of Santa Claus Santa Claus: see Nicholas, Saint. Santa Claus jolly, gift-giving figure who visits children on Christmas Eve. [Christian Tradition: NCE, 1937] See : Christmas Santa Claus might bring more. He is expected to make his debut at 7 p.m. tonight along Town Center Drive. Luisa Duffield said she feels the Christmas spirit in the air and spends time at the mall to cheer herself. ``I think we all need something to make us happy,'' she said, which also includes shutting off the television and spending more time with her family outside. ``Outdoor activities help ... so we aren't enclosed and don't feel so entrapped.'' It's also a time for giving, which brings people together and families closer, Karim said. That's been evident in the overwhelming numbers of donations given around the country. People have been flocking to Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts since the attacks, looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. anything red, white and blue and for fleece fleece, mat of wool formed by shearing a sheep in one continuous operation. The average fleece weighs from 5 to 10 lb (2.3–4.5 kg); in highbred wool sheep such as the American Merinos a ram's fleece may reach 30 lb (13.6 kg). fabric to make blankets for Project Linus, which provides security blankets to troubled children. Betty Barstow always shops early there to get a head start on making her gifts. She, too, feels the Christmas spirit and warmth. ``I think people are coming together and realizing what their priority is - what Christmas is all about,'' she said. For her, ``it means the work of Christ.'' CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) The American flag provides an enduring patriotic backdrop to the Christmas imagery going up this week at the Valencia Town Center. (2) Holiday decor gives the Valencia Town Center a cheery cheer·y adj. cheer·i·er, cheer·i·est Showing or suggesting good spirits; cheerful: a cheery hello. cheer air - just the thing to help people forget their troubles. David R. Crane/Staff Photographer |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion