Where's the Holiday Spirit?

The holidays are almost upon us here in Lexington, but for such a busy and festive time of the year, the town is pretty quiet. Sure, Christmas wreaths are already up (all in the name of putting on a show for WSLS out of Roanoke), but even that hasn't done much to liven up the atmosphere. Where are the bustling tourists? Where are the family members in for the holidays? Maybe it's the incessant rain keeping everyone inside, or maybe I'm just jumping the gun on my expectations of seasonal cheer, but in my four years here, this is the quietest holiday I've seen yet.

I'm curious to see how this currently lackluster season will play out for local retailers. Business owners are already in a bind with the economy floundering as it is, and with the new health-care bill kicking around in the Senate, things could get even tighter. A 'yes' vote from them would make staying in the black even harder for retailers in town, who rely mostly on part-time employees. And while everyone was originally optimistic about the surge of new small businesses in Lexington, I have to wonder whether they can survive the winter. These new businesses are certainly attractive, but if the season is slow and the health-insurance mandate comes down from Washington, they face grim prospects. Newcomers, especially in the business world, have an uphill battle to fight for the first year or so before they can reasonably expect to turn a profit. Couple these inherent start-up losses with the fact that they just haven't had the necessary time to prove why they're equal competition in the Lexington market, and the red ink starts to bleed its way through their earnings sheets.

Maybe I'm being a bit too harsh on them. Perhaps this chilly weather has dampened my holiday spirit. I just hope that all these exciting new ventures live to see the thaw.