OUR STAND: Instead of dwelling on financial difficulty this winter, students should keep in mind what the season is all about.

The current economic situation is clearly taking a toll on everyone, and despite Carmel’s perceived well-to-do location, the city is not excluded from that equation.

Whether it is a student who is looking for a job, a parent looking to purchase a gift or a retail manager looking to turn a profit, changes will be implemented this holiday season, and it will be apparent to people everywhere.

Changes will start soon within Carmel’s own city limits. Retail companies have reported that there will be a decline in the amount of people employed this holiday season, a reported estimated one-third less. While this may be disheartening to students looking to make a little extra cash this holiday season, the economic crisis may prove helpful to some students and families, at least in the short run, as price levels of virtually all material goods will shrink in the coming winter months, the strategy being to just turn a profit for the corporation in question.

But what does this mean for students here? Any student looking to work through this winter, specifically the holiday season, would be wise to start job searching now, maybe getting on a friend’s employer’s good side, because the demand for employees will soon become scant.

A different idea students might want to consider is looking for alternative ways to earn dollars this holiday season. Working for a neighbor or offering their services for family, friends and acquaintances such as snow shoveling or gift wrapping, or even doing the bargain shopping in the first place, could prove profitable.

And while the stress of locating and holding a job this season might prove stressful and irritating, students should keep a positive outlook on this season, after all, as the popular children’s song goes, “it’s the most wonderful time of the year.”

The most important idea to keep in mind this holiday season is the basic theme the season is supposed to promote and emulate in the first place, and to not let materialism outweigh the more important things this year. Students and their families will most certainly feel the economic situation this year and likely for years to come. After all, according to the Web site economist.com, an average American household will spend roughly $1,700 on gifts and other trinkets.

But perhaps this negative event in our economic history can have a bright side. America has one of the highest marginal consumption rates in the world, with no other nation even close, which is indicative of how much our country’s citizens rely on material goods in their lives for happiness and entertainment.

Retailers and other companies that sell material goods would like everyone to believe that without the latest and greatest technological gadgets, trendiest clothes or anything else that a person might want for, a holiday season is meaningless, but this should not be the mindset.

Instead, both here and throughout the entire United States, citizens should take this economic crisis as a wake up call to remember what this season is all about: having good cheer and celebrating the important people in their lives, family and friends.