by David Kent | staff writer
At last it’s the month of November, the season of the turkey; where we all gather around a table and express our gratitude for the things that we have in our life. And yet people are celebrating Christmas of all things. It’s not even Christmas, and yet people are already listening to christmas carols and setting up Christmas decorations. The absolute nerve of these people, if I could be anyone, I’d be the Grinch that saves Thanksgiving. Move aside Santa and wait your turn, it’s time for Thanksgiving, not Christmas
Not even a single large inflatable turkey decoration is up, at least from what I’ve seen. Instead I’m seeing inflatable Santas popping up all over. Sure the spectacle of christmas lights in trees is nice, however it isn’t Christmas, it isn’t the time to set up these decorations. I wouldn’t even be surprised if I saw a christmas tree market out in a parking lot within the next week.
One reason Christmas may start so early is because of the merchandising phenomenon called, ‘Christmas Creep.’ This is where retailers and marketers start to market and sell Christmas-themed products before the start of the Christmas season to try and maximize products. In first started in the United States in the 1980’s and since then, it has seen tremendous success, at least supposedly considering that businesses keep on doing it.
From a purely business standpoint, the idea of marketing seasonal stuff early makes sense and offers great economic opportunity. However, from an outsider’s point of view, it’s very annoying and irritating.
During the month of November, I care about one thing and one thing alone, Thanksgiving and all of the good food that comes with it. Yet, at the store, all I see is Christmas decorations and all I hear is Christmas music on the radio. I don’t care about Christmas in the month of November. It’s like thinking about Halloween in January, it just doesn’t make sense whatsoever.
That’s not to say that Christmas is a bad holiday, far from it. Christmas is a time about family and a reflection on the year as a whole; twelve months, three-hundred and thirty four days (not including December), that you’ve endured and made countless decisions in. It’s a time to look back on your year and to make a commitment to yourself to change for the next year, to be a better person that you’re now. Even though not everyone holds to the commitment of trying something new on New Years, it still does matter in the scope of our society.
That’s why we shouldn’t advertise Christmas too early, it takes away from the societal and emotional impact that is supposed to come with Christmas. It makes the spirit of familial connection in the Christmas season shallow and just ‘all about the gifts.’
Thanksgiving is the time of year to reflect on everything that you have gratitude for that has happened in the past year. It’s a time to look back on your year and to think about what had happened recently in your life and what you take the most pride in and have the most thankfulness for. It shouldn’t be a time to look at Christmas decorations and be inspired to buy that funny-looking Santa figurine to add to your collection of weird-looking and unique tiny Santas. People need to focus on the here and now, they need to focus on the present. Focusing on the future and future events will just set people up for failure by getting their hopes up too high.
