Some of the Denver radio stations started playing Christmas music even before Thanksgiving. The city of Northglenn had its Christmas street decorations up a week or two before Thanksgiving. The marketing blasts and extra thick Sunday Denver Post advertising supplements were launched before Black Friday.

Retail stores rolled out the Christmas decorations and “pre-Black Friday specials.”

And of course, Black Friday itself came like clockwork last Friday with shoppers camped out for the early bird specials.

And so another Christmas shopping season is fully under way.

Retailers have their hopes for a better holiday season, city government officials are expectant about sales tax revenue, kids have their Christmas gift lists prepared, churches are preparing their cantatas and Christmas Eve services, the grocery stores are stocking those seasonal goodies, mom or sister Kate is baking those special family traditional bake goods and the Christmas goose is looking worried.

Christmas gift list

Christmas morning will be here in a flash (I know you are supposed to substitute “holiday season” for “Christmas,” but I am a proud Protestant and celebrate the arrival of the Christ Child.

I hope my friends and readers who are not Christians will indulge me). 

And what is on your Christmas gift wish list this year?

How about Congress and the president solving (not avoiding or postponing) the federal government’s Fiscal Cliff debacle?

It would save all of us (not just the top 1 percent income folks) some increased taxes and probably prevent our fragile economy from going backwards.  

Have you included jobs for the 23 million Americans who are looking for work and a paycheck? That would be huge toward getting our economy humming again if employers could afford to hire or re-hire even one third of that number.

And then we could add an item on the list for a successful nonpartisan approach at all levels of our government on solving issues and getting America back in a solid position.

Or how about Israel and Palestine settling their differences once and for all?

Ha, I know that is a long shot, but perhaps they could at least stop bombing each other and killing innocent people and children.

Or let’s ask for world peace which would include the above situation along with the Afghan War, the continued killings in Iraq and the murdering in African countries by war lords.

Or we could ask for a cure for all types of cancer which would save so many loved ones and friends from a terrible fight.

Or we could include on our list a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, which is another awful disease for both the individual and the family. 

Or how about asking for a cure for HIV Aids? That would be especially monumental in Africa where so many children lose their parents to this disease.

But, the Macy’s sales supplements, the K-Mart blue light specials, the Kohl’s early bird specials and the dozens of other retail marketing blitz will get the best of us.

Those new whiz bang smart phones, Xbox games, the gazillion inch HD TVs, latest fashions and perhaps even a new Mercedes or Beamer for the high rollers will be purchased for Christmas.

Don’t call me Scrooge or Humbug Bill as I love to give and receive Christmas presents just like you.

But at the same time, we could elevate our focus on the real important gifts we wish for our community, our country, our world.

Bill Christopher is former city manager of Westminster and used to represent District J on the RTD board of directors.