Did 9/11 tragedy take Christmas spirit away?

Did 9/11 tragedy take Christmas spirit away?
EDITOR:
What has happened to everyone's Christmas spirit this year? Maybe it is the lack of snow or maybe it's the 9/11 attacks, but it seems to me that everyone has lost that Christmas joy and spirit of giving.
I'm sure that you know what kind of spirit that I'm talking about. That kind of happiness that goes along with Christmas. It's where you enjoy being with your friends and family and decorating the house is a fun tradition that you enjoyparticipating in.
However, things have been far from that. Everywhere I go I hear people grumbling about all the shopping, decorating and cooking that they have to do. I've even heard people say that they are dreading Christmas. I cannot believe such things.
I know that I love Christmas and being with my friends and family. Not everyone seems to feel that same way though anymore.
This horrible cycle is even running nationally. Experts are predicting that this shopping season will have the lowest retail sales in 33 years. While last year the year-over-year retail sales rose 5 percent, so far this year it has dropped 3 percent. That's what Christmas is coming to though; money. Instead of the thought of Christmas gifts, it's starting to come to the quantity and quality of them.
My Christmas wish this year is that people will start to realize how much they affect people around them with their bitterness and ignorance. I think that Americans need to have that same sense of unity and compassion that they did for the horrible 9/11 tragedy all year round.
VICTORIA DiGENNARO
Struthers
X The writer is a student in the American history class of Ralph Sandy at Stuthers High School.