Christmas: Autobiographies and Greatest Hits CDs - Tis The Season To Be Jolly Duped
Posted: Friday, October 30, 2009
by Julian Price
http://www.uk-freelance-content-writer.co.uk/
The Halloween displays have been rapidly dismantled and the already substantial Christmas counters have multiplied and taken their place. Yes folks, we are officially on the trip of pandemonium and mania that is the run in to December 25th!
Something magical happens on the approach to Christmas and it has nothing to do with Santa Claus and his helpers, nor does it relate to anything religious. This "something magical" is a form of trance that the majority of us full under for the months of November and December.
Not only do we request these prime cuts of turkey for our own stocking fillers but we become convinced that all our friends and family would be left heartbroken without at least one seasonal offering of stuffing.
The article's title may have given the game away, but every one of us should be nodding our heads or raising our hands in their air right about now, as a symbolic gesture of acknowledgement and guilt. Confession time please?
Repeat after me, " Yes, I am indeed one of those seven million (give or take a few million) souls that either buy or request an autobiography or greatest hits CD's for Christmas and it is only in January (annually) that I realise the error of my ways. I am thoroughly embarrassed and humiliated but such is the power of the "two month curse" that I cannot promise to abstain from such activities in future!"
One dictionary definition for the word "autobiography" is, "The biography of a person written by that person."
Every year, around about this time, a flood of celebrities large and small along with a host of unrecognisable faces send their own "life stories" to the book store shelves for unfortunate victims (us) to lap up! Many of these so called famous people have barely lived enough life to fill more than a few pages, so of course have to be filled with tabloid tales and claim and counter claim of, well, glorified gossip. It is also hugely debateable as to how many of these auto-biographers actually fulfil the "auto" part and how many just add a foreword to a selection of glossy photographs and "quotes".
Some of them go on to sell millions and some a slightly more conservative few dozen, but all, if we had only been patient, or resisted the trance, end up in discount stores (both new and used) for a mere fraction of the retail price by February.
Greatest Hits Compilation CD's follow a similar pattern and are perhaps even more seductive. There are the bands that release them after just a couple of albums and really send the Trade Descriptions Act for a spin by filling the CD with bonus tracks or "amazing unreleased remixes". A perusal of the song list often reveals about 3 hits!
The more established artists, offer even grander, greatest hits by selling you the same record you bought a couple of years ago, with one new song and brand new, shiny packaging. You can't say fairer than that for a Christmas treat!
Christmas is coming, the geese are already on high alert and you can't say you haven't been warned when you see Joe Blogs' "life story" at your warm, inviting, beautifully decorated, delicious smelling book shop, next time you are out Christmas shopping. Jingle Bells!
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)We now use I tunes for hit songs and Amazon for books. Much cheaper and we can be much more selective. Thanks for an interesting article.Linda DThanks for the comment Linda. Appreciated. Julian
I tend to buy "greatest hits" albums exclusively. The only reason is that I'm cheap!Great stuff here, Julian!lol Thanks Ken! Nothing wrong with a "proper" greatest hits album, it's the ones with only 3 hits on that have a nerve to call themselves as such! Julian
Thanks for the warning! Gift cards are a great idea, easy to wrap and less expensive to mail that a package, eh? MarijoThanks for the comment Marijo, much appreciated! Taking on board the gift card idea! :) Julian
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