Wapsi Square Forum

<Rant Warning>

Why, oh why do the radio stations I like insist on starting their holiday music a week before Thanksgiving? And why do all the stores have their Christmas stuff up already?

IIRC, 2 decades ago commercial entities had the decency to wait until December 1st. Drives me completely bonkers.</rant>

This year, my local grocery store was putting up Christmas stuff for sale along the wall at the end of the cashiers lanes... in September!!!

lake_wrangler wrote:This year, my local grocery store was putting up Christmas stuff for sale along the wall at the end of the cashiers lanes... in September!!!

I think that in a few short years they will be selling the Christmas stuff on Feb 1. (I would have sad Jan 1. they will need a month to sell the stuff from the previous year at a discount.)

*grinch*

Yeah, around here, they put up their Xmas stuff on Halloween, with a mini section for Thanksgiving. At least they have the sense to not put up the Muzak until Black Friday(mainly because most folk have boycotted stores that do).

I want to hide all the decorations most folks have up that's not Turkey/Thanksgiving related in a cave. Not because I dislike it, but because it needs to be done after Thanksgiving, let us give thanks first, then deck the halls...

*/grinch*

Soon, we will have "HallowthanksgiYule Years Eve"

NOTDilbert wrote:Soon, we will have "HallowthanksgiYule Years Eve"

Bite thy tongue brother.

NOTDilbert wrote:Soon, we will have "HallowthanksgiYule Years Eve"

Happy Christmakwanzakuh!!

Eh, I saw some christmas lawn decorations in the garden center of Wal Mart as early as late August.

At least Canadians have the excuse that their Thanksgiving occurs before Halloween, so the next major holiday will be Christmas (followed by Boxing Day!). Americans have... less of an excuse, considering their Thanksgiving is in late November. Chalk it up to corporate greed. They can make more on christmas decorations and people trying to one-up the Winter Wizard Light Spectacular and all that candy than they can a nominally quiet and reserved holiday wherin the primary things to do are eat turkey and watch football (no, not THAT football, it's more like Rugby to non-Americans... Soccer is what they call that sport here, and it's not even a national sport).

Pretty pathetic when the selfsame 'Christ' whose birthday Christmas is touted to be celebrating is known for saying, among other things, "The rich have as much chance of getting to heaven as a camel has of going through the eye of a needle". Then again, it was also pretty much a re-skin of the old Yule and winter solstice celebrations before the Holy Roman Empire tried to convert everyone by the sword. Yea, there's another one for ya... I'd love to know how "Love Thy Neighbor" became "Convert The Heathen At Thy Swordpoint".

Feh. This is the most miserable season of the whole year. Hypocrisy and commercialism replacing common decency and morals... and to top it off... COLD!

*mutter mutter* really are a heel my left buttcheek. C'mere a little closer and I'll show YOU my heel, upside yer head, an' ring yer carol-of-the bells...

*Reaches into his 'soul' and pulls out a clove of garlic, shakes off the gunk, and deposits it into the Pun Vault*

DinkyInky wrote:*grinch*

Yeah, around here, they put up their Xmas stuff on Halloween, with a mini section for Thanksgiving. At least they have the sense to not put up the Muzak until Black Friday(mainly because most folk have boycotted stores that do).

I want to hide all the decorations most folks have up that's not Turkey/Thanksgiving related in a cave. Not because I dislike it, but because it needs to be done after Thanksgiving, let us give thanks first, then deck the halls...

*/grinch*

I heard Christmas music in the grocery store when I was there this past Saturday. It makes me angry...and has made me angry for many years. Don't even get me started on the whole "Black Friday starting on Thursday or even the Sunday before" epidemic we're seeing. *wanders off to grump about stupid shoppers ruining my favorite holiday*

As much as I'd like to blame the stores for their lack of sense and sensibilities, I can't help but wonder if it's not a vicious circle:

They sell it sooner, because people are willing to buy sooner, and people are willing to buy sooner, because it's being sold sooner...

How much would things be different, if people saved up money ahead of time, and only bought what they could afford; if people didn't try to "keep up with the Joneses" nor try to impress anyone else with their stuff...

I'm not defending the store's behaivor, but I think there's a lot more people in the catagory of 'I need to start on Christmas around September' than their used to be. (Been in that class for most of my life...)

Jabberwonky wrote:I'm not defending the store's behaivor, but I think there's a lot more people in the catagory of 'I need to start on Christmas around September' than their used to be. (Been in that class for most of my life...)

Meh...I start Christmas shopping whenever I see an item that would be "perfect" for someone in my family/friend circle. I've even bought Christmas presents as early as June...but I didn't start decorating or humming carols until after Thanksgiving. You can shop year round for a holiday without overtaking other holidays.

Julie wrote:Meh...I start Christmas shopping whenever I see an item that would be "perfect" for someone in my family/friend circle. I've even bought Christmas presents as early as June...but I didn't start decorating or humming carols until after Thanksgiving. You can shop year round for a holiday without overtaking other holidays.

Amen!

I make some of the gifts(when CTS permits) and buy some when funds permit. This is a year round thing.

They start selling the decorations and playing the songs earlier so that, by late December everyone will be tired of them, and they can stop playing the songs on Dec. 20, and there's time during the holidays to take the tree down on Dec. 24.

Actually, I'm somewhat in favor: it allows believers to get the commercialization and kitsch out of the way, so we can celebrate the Christmas season with reverence and joy on Dec. 25-Jan 6, or even to Feb. 2.

bmonk wrote:Actually, I'm somewhat in favor: it allows believers to get the commercialization and kitsch out of the way, so we can celebrate the Christmas season with reverence and joy on Dec. 25-Jan 6, or even to Feb. 2.

I wish it worked that way for me. Unfortunately, all of the commercialization and kitsch turns me into a collosal grinch, and I don't even feel motivated to celebrate the religious part of the season with anything remotely resembling reverence or joy.

Julie wrote:I wish it worked that way for me. Unfortunately, all of the commercialization and kitsch turns me into a collosal grinch, and I don't even feel motivated to celebrate the religious part of the season with anything remotely resembling reverence or joy.

Just try to channel Linus. "I can tell you what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

Dave wrote:

Julie wrote:I wish it worked that way for me. Unfortunately, all of the commercialization and kitsch turns me into a collosal grinch, and I don't even feel motivated to celebrate the religious part of the season with anything remotely resembling reverence or joy.

Just try to channel Linus. "I can tell you what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown."

Just be careful it's the real Linus.

...Which is why I never saw the Christmas Specials (think claymation and shooting people's eyes out) until I was well into my teens.

On a different note, why are all the Indians gone from the Thanksgiving stuff? It's not all about the stupid turkeys, I mean seriously, you can hunt them with a car driving 15 mph on any road in Massachusetts. They're stupid. But the pilgrims and Indians being nice to each other--awesomeness! Why are they being secretly removed?

Um, I also may be too tired to post in legible English...

Danzier wrote:...Which is why I never saw the Christmas Specials (think claymation and shooting people's eyes out) until I was well into my teens.

On a different note, why are all the Indians gone from the Thanksgiving stuff? It's not all about the stupid turkeys, I mean seriously, you can hunt them with a car driving 15 mph on any road in Massachusetts. They're stupid. But the pilgrims and Indians being nice to each other--awesomeness! Why are they being secretly removed?

Um, I also may be too tired to post in legible English...

Probably because the truth was far less charitable (or marketable) than the average person has been taught in school. (just think about the Thanksgiving pageant from Addams Family Values)

Also rights groups have been concerned for years about the inaccurate portal of Native Americans (sorry I do not know the acceptable term for this season) in history or the holiday displays.

I boycott radio stations that play Christmas music prior to the day after Thanksgiving.

WIsh I could do the same for stores, however I do like food and there are only so many around my place.

I saw Christmas stuff at Costco before Halloween.

I think that Mark N is making a scary prediction that may come true...

Mark N wrote: I think that in a few short years they will be selling the Christmas stuff on Feb 1. (I would have sad Jan 1. they will need a month to sell the stuff from the previous year at a discount.)

And then of course:

JulieMeh wrote:...I start Christmas shopping whenever I see an item that would be "perfect" for someone in my family/friend circle. I've even bought Christmas presents as early as June...but I didn't start decorating or humming carols until after Thanksgiving. You can shop year round for a holiday without overtaking other holidays.

I quite agree. I tend to do my shopping that way. Its amazing what you can pick up early enough in the year for a great deal without waiting until 'Black' Friday. I had it last year that I purchased a new printer as a gift (the old one was a dinosuar from the days when Scanners first became part of printers.) The price I paid in August for it was only $15 more than the Black friday sales price. $15 extra paid but I didn't have to fight crowds at 2 am. Worth it.

I'm actually almost done with my shopping alreeady this year, just need a couple incidentals to finish out stockings.