Mob mentality

Let me be the first, I hope, to say it!  Merry Christmas!  The excitement is in the air!

Do you love Christmas as much as I?  I love every single thing about it!    And I LOVE to give gifts!  So, with that in mind, I am offering a new feature on the blog!

But before we get to that, let me apologize for not having a Confession Friday last week.  And since it is Monday, I think I will confess something.....What better day to confess than Monday, a new beginning, a new week?

Here is my Monday's Confession Friday:  I have found a new interest....something I terribly want to do.  I want to be part of a mob.  I know, I know, it is shocking.  But just not any kind of mob.  It's really isn't what you think.  I have discovered a whole new world of Flash Mobs.

If you are like me, I had NO idea what a flash mob is until just recently.  A flash mob is when a large group of people gather in very public place, appear to be part of the normal activity, say like in a mall food court or Grand Central Station, and then put on a brief performance of some kind.  They get people to participate by spreading the word via viral emails, social networking sites like FaceBook, or other forms of telecommunications.

The term flash mob made it to the 11th edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary in July 2004, defining it as an "unusual and pointless act" . Websters Dictionary defines flash mob as “a group of people who organize on the Internet and then quickly assemble in a public place, do something bizarre, and disperse."  Maybe that's what intrigues me so about flash mobs.  They have been used as protests, but the original intention is for the performance aspect.  The very first flash mob was staged in New York City at a Macy's Department store in 2003.  Over 100 people gathered on the 9th floor of the store and surrounded a very costly rug, telling store clerks that they all lived together in a warehouse and had decided to buy a "love rug" and that all decisions were made by the whole group.  What a hoot!  Now that to me is the ultimate practical joke!

So now, as of this week, I am introducing Flash Mob Mondays for the holidays! A gift of sorts from me to you!  So sit back and enjoy the very first of the Flash Mob Monday here:

Be sure to look for next week's Flash Mob Monday video!  And stay tuned for some really "Christmasey" entries!  Got to run!  A cup of hot coffee and a Christmas movie are calling my name....sweet indulgence in the middle of the day!

P.S. Did I mention that I LOVE Christmas?  Just in case you were wondering.......