How Many Days ’til Christmas?
–by Carla
With Halloween, my baby son’s 1st birthday and the husband’s milestone birthday (which is the day AFTER baby boy’s birthday…which is one day AFTER Halloween. Follow?) out of the way, everyone who’s anyone is talking about Christmas shopping now. Now! It’s November 6th, for crying out loud. I thought we were supposed to be focusing on and stressing out about Thanksgiving for the next couple of weeks. I am. “Who all is coming? Wait, are we hosting? What am I cooking? Is anyone going to let me cook something this year for the first time, or is Mom going to offer to have it catered like we have for so many years so that we don’t risk a last minute kitchen nightmare and have to run through the Burger King drive thru of shame on Thanksgiving Day? And if we are having it catered again, will the line at Honey Baked wrap around the building 2 times or 30 times?” See…? There’s a weeks’ worth of stress right there. But no, I’ve got to start thinking about Christmas shopping now. That makes me queasy.
I normally won’t even acknowledge Christmas shopping until the day after Thanksgiving, like the good American that I am, but more and more, it’s being crammed down my throat earlier and earlier. I don’t like that. Attention big retail: It’s turning me off. I’ll be shopping less than I shop now and I don’t even shop that much.
I started getting turned off to all the Christmas shopping hype (TV/Radio ads, fliers, inserts, billboards, messenger pigeons, spray painted dogs, etc.) about 8 years ago when it really started to get noticed by those of us in the news biz that retailers were pushing their goods well before Halloween and some radio stations were even playing Christmas music long before Thanksgiving. And that was before the recession. I can’t imagine what I’m going to be pummeled with this year, but I can guarantee you that it’s gonna rub me the wrong way, that I’ll get cranky about it and that I may have to eat some chocolate to get past it.
Don’t call me a freak or anything (or do, if you like), but I honestly don’t see Christmas as a time to get a bunch of presents…as a chance to fork over a list to someone and say “here, go buy these things”. To me, that has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas, December 25th, the day Jesus was born.
Now look, if you know your husband or wife or your mom has had his or her eye on something for a little while and you are getting them something out of joy and not because you feel you have to, well that’s a totally different story. I do love giving when I know it’s something the other person will be excited to receive. Just don’t tell me I have to buy, buy, buy. Ugh…
The way I see it, all the “must have, must shop, must buy the perfect gift for that someone special” BS cheapens what used to be a really special, magical time. It still is for me, though, and I’m hoping to pass along the true meaning of Christmas to my sons as they grow up.
And for the record there are 34 days until Christmas (Ok, I totally just eyeballed that one, you might want to double check…)
Tags: Christmas, church, music, radio, recession, retailers, shopping, TV
November 7th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
I wrote a similar post in drafts!! We must be all subliminally being affected already!!!
November 8th, 2009 at 7:59 pm
Seeing Christmas crap sitting alongside Halloween crap is just wrong. Thanksgiving gets no respect. I love that holiday. You get to eat 10 different kinds of carbs and at least a dozen different pies and it’s totally acceptable. Yum
November 9th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
Amen Sista! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year next to Christmas, but you’re right, it’s not getting any respect.