HOLIDAY WARS

Yearly my dear blogging friend, Suldog posts his "rant" on "Thanksgiving Comes First" and invites others who are like minded to join in with a post of their own on the subject.  I am happy to do this.
You can get up to speed with him here:

Suldog

Thanksgiving Comes First - The First Round-Up  

  

In short, the issue at hand is how Christmas is vomited all over our store shelves, media, etc. before we even get to Thanksgiving.

 
I do agree with Suldog. I began seeing Halloween and Thanksgiving stuff before the weather was cool enough to call it fall... back in August. To me, that is when the pushing of holidays before their time comes into play... when I am still trying to hang onto summer.  I suppose its appropriate if you plan on creating all sorts of holiday decorations or gifts and need the supplies and that much time.  But it seems to me that this sort of thing should be restricted to craft stores and the like. Not in general stores and in the media. Sheesh!

 
When I was a kid, I admit that I began my school year with holidays in mind... as in school has begun and that meant that soon there would be a costume to make, goodies to gather and then the beloved "days off from school" would begin, a turkey feast and wind up toward the main event of presents under the tree and more goodies to eat.

 
Like most kids, I was into the "me" mode and what I got from holidays. I was not yet impressed by the gathering of family as much as the getting. That would come later when as a parent I found out the giving and watching of joy on the faces of children and others that I loved were a way better treat. But even as a child, I understood that there was an order to the holidays.  They rolled out, you ticked them off in a count down to Christmas.  Then after Christmas there was a new count down to summer that began with the "candy holidays"... Valentine's Day and Easter.  Once I made it to Easter, summer wasn't far off and another old school year would be gone.  Yay!

 
The point is that in my own kid way, I did keep my holidays in order, no matter the reason.  There was a comforting pattern to my year that always followed true.

 
It had reason and it had traditions that were fun and pleasing.  A stablizing set in stone pattern to be expected and followed no matter what else may happen.  Patterns, schedules and order are good things. Even for the ultimate impulsiveness of childhood. Holidays were a sort of anchor.

 
Somewhere along the line, those set in stone reliable holidays began to be fused together. Right now, this week I have already seen Christmas in every store that I have entered. 

I'm not there yet!  I've still got Halloween, Vetran's Day, November 16th and Thanksgiving to create and celebrate. I don't want to be planning my Christmas yet.  It is not time.  It won't be time until December 1st.

I am raging against the machine. It chews things up and spits them out. By the time I need a winter coat, they have bathing suits on the shelf and the coats are packed away. Why should I have to begin choosing a month and a half ahead what I want to hang on a tree that hasn't even been cut yet? 

I've noticed an increase in toy commercials for children and adults. Its only going to get worse. I want to enjoy each holiday in their time, not be steam rolled over by them in advance and exhausted to the point of not enjoying my holiday due to overkill.

 
Though I will admit, as a parent, I have in the past begun Christmas shopping... and putting things on lay-away during summer months. Otherwise, I could not have afforded to put things under the tree. Perhaps I am partially to blame for the retailers pushing things too early as a consumer willing to plan so far ahead.

 
But those days are gone. My rug rats have their own babies to plan for and my time of worry that I will fail to bring about that joy on Christmas morning has passed behind me. In my defense, I did not buy what the retailers pushed.  I bought clothes they would need for winter and the rest of the school year. I did wait for wish lists in December to pick out things they desperately wanted.

  Then retailers began to reduce the time for lay-away to their schedule for pushing items for the holiday. That ended lay-away for me.

I have joined Suldog in his war against the shoving of holidays down our collective throats. I will follow my own traditional schedule, marketing be damned. If a carol comes on my radio before December 1st, I'll switch channels and even send an email about my displeasure in a polite and firm tone. I will not begin my Christmas baking before December 1st.  I will not begin my Thanksgiving baking before November 1st. I will celebrate November 16th on that day and that day only!

I will stand my ground and take my traditions back.

 
Any questions?