<![CDATA[Ara Balears in English - Black Friday]]> 10 <![CDATA[XXL Christmas]]> I devoured the last volume of the tetralogy Two friends Elena Ferrante's novel, delving into the story of Lila and Lenù in Naples over the last 50 years. Sitting by the fireplace in a house in the countryside, on vacation, I thought this must be very much like happiness. I was debating whether to close the book so it would last until the next day or continue (I never choose the first option) when I received a WhatsApp message urging me to write about the Christmas lights being switched on in Palma. Without work, I hadn't noticed what that day of theatrics with push buttons was, although I presumed that, given it was the People's Party (PP), they would have gone all out in the staging. Politicians like Christmas, but the right wing likes it even more. They want it on a grand scale. For example, the mayor of Palma has announced that he will spend 850,000 euros to revamp the parade. It's commendable that they're interested in providing better service to the public, especially since the masses (voters and non-voters alike) will take to the streets even if, among the floats, there's, I don't know, an EMT bus with a star on it. It happened when I was a child, and at that time I begged my mother never to punish me with that spectacle again. The magic of Christmas must be maintained at a minimum.

]]> <![CDATA[Black Friday in the Balearic Islands: small businesses speak of a "disaster" and large chains of success]]>

Black Friday has already passed in the Balearic Islands, and the opinions of small businesses and large retailers there couldn't be more different. While local shops describe it as a "disaster" and a "negative campaign," large chains maintain that sales are going well and they have "good prospects" for the start of the Christmas season.

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