Christmas, Wait Your Turn.
A disturbing trend has made itself known to me over the past week and a half.... Christmas is waging a hostile take over.
It is barely Thanksgiving week. It is the first day of Thanksgiving week. It is the Monday BEFORE Thanksgiving. It is not December yet. It is not cold outside. It is NOT CHRISTMAS TIME.
I saw the most horrendous sight last week. There was already a Santa Claus in the mall. Children were sitting on his knee, telling him their Christmas wishes. People have begun putting up Christmas trees and lights. They have inflated their giant front lawn snowmen and hung the wreaths on their doors. One radio station has been playing nothing but Christmas music for over a week now. Department stores and grocery stores are catering to the Christmas fanatics and commercials are full of elves, reindeer and snowflakes. Shopping centers have been decorated festively for the Holidays. When I was in the store, a middle-aged man was walking behind me humming "Have a holly jolly Christmas..." It's as if he knew my angst regarding the disappearance of Thanksgiving and was rubbing salt in the wound.
No longer is it the "12 Days of Christmas". By my calculations it has become the 42 days of Christmas (who knows, it may even be longer than that; this is just when I first noticed the Santa and the other Christmas things cropping up) Stores might as well make the "Christmas Season" a year 'round event at this rate.
Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. Camping, being with friends and family, the weather, Thanksgiving football, turkeys, falling leaves, pumpkin pie, etc etc etc. It's wonderful. I love the reminder to be thankful for what I have and for who is in my life. And I'm having a really hard time understanding why people are so anxious to get on to a jolly fat man, being completely strapped for cash, fruit cakes that weigh more than bricks of gold, pretending that deer can fly and that the afore mentioned jolly fat man can fit down your chimney. What is so attractive about not being able to sleep because the Christmas lights all over the city shine so brightly that the sun should feel ashamed? And really, how many different ways does the song "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" need to be written and sung?
I don't have a vendetta against Christmas. I enjoy the holiday season and I am by no means a grinch. I just want it to wait its turn. Let's make it through one Holiday before we start decorating and preparing for another. This period of time has started masquerading as the Christmas season and I won't stand for it.
I will celebrate Thanksgiving with every ounce of my being. I am standing up to say boldly "Christmas... WAIT YOUR TURN". If you have a modicum of decency within you, stand with me! Together, let's take back Thanksgiving. Let's put Christmas back in it's proper place (December, perhaps?) and live in the here and now. And in the here and now... it's Thanksgiving time.
So don't be surprised if you see me on the news for harrassing the Santa in the mall, popping the inflatable snowmen, hiding wreaths, unplugging Christmas lights, playing non-Christmas music at an alarmingly loud decibel level and telling poor unsuspecting children that Santa does not exist (but the turkey, the pilgrims and the indians did!). Stay away from the Christmas movies (Mom....) and the eggnog. Be thankful for what you have. Enjoy the time right now without stressing about December 25 and the period of time sandwiching that date.
That is all.
Happy Thanksgiving to all... and to all a good night...
It is barely Thanksgiving week. It is the first day of Thanksgiving week. It is the Monday BEFORE Thanksgiving. It is not December yet. It is not cold outside. It is NOT CHRISTMAS TIME.
I saw the most horrendous sight last week. There was already a Santa Claus in the mall. Children were sitting on his knee, telling him their Christmas wishes. People have begun putting up Christmas trees and lights. They have inflated their giant front lawn snowmen and hung the wreaths on their doors. One radio station has been playing nothing but Christmas music for over a week now. Department stores and grocery stores are catering to the Christmas fanatics and commercials are full of elves, reindeer and snowflakes. Shopping centers have been decorated festively for the Holidays. When I was in the store, a middle-aged man was walking behind me humming "Have a holly jolly Christmas..." It's as if he knew my angst regarding the disappearance of Thanksgiving and was rubbing salt in the wound.
No longer is it the "12 Days of Christmas". By my calculations it has become the 42 days of Christmas (who knows, it may even be longer than that; this is just when I first noticed the Santa and the other Christmas things cropping up) Stores might as well make the "Christmas Season" a year 'round event at this rate.
Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. Camping, being with friends and family, the weather, Thanksgiving football, turkeys, falling leaves, pumpkin pie, etc etc etc. It's wonderful. I love the reminder to be thankful for what I have and for who is in my life. And I'm having a really hard time understanding why people are so anxious to get on to a jolly fat man, being completely strapped for cash, fruit cakes that weigh more than bricks of gold, pretending that deer can fly and that the afore mentioned jolly fat man can fit down your chimney. What is so attractive about not being able to sleep because the Christmas lights all over the city shine so brightly that the sun should feel ashamed? And really, how many different ways does the song "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" need to be written and sung?
I don't have a vendetta against Christmas. I enjoy the holiday season and I am by no means a grinch. I just want it to wait its turn. Let's make it through one Holiday before we start decorating and preparing for another. This period of time has started masquerading as the Christmas season and I won't stand for it.
I will celebrate Thanksgiving with every ounce of my being. I am standing up to say boldly "Christmas... WAIT YOUR TURN". If you have a modicum of decency within you, stand with me! Together, let's take back Thanksgiving. Let's put Christmas back in it's proper place (December, perhaps?) and live in the here and now. And in the here and now... it's Thanksgiving time.
So don't be surprised if you see me on the news for harrassing the Santa in the mall, popping the inflatable snowmen, hiding wreaths, unplugging Christmas lights, playing non-Christmas music at an alarmingly loud decibel level and telling poor unsuspecting children that Santa does not exist (but the turkey, the pilgrims and the indians did!). Stay away from the Christmas movies (Mom....) and the eggnog. Be thankful for what you have. Enjoy the time right now without stressing about December 25 and the period of time sandwiching that date.
That is all.
Happy Thanksgiving to all... and to all a good night...
p.s. Happy Thanksgiving!