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Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Too soon for Christmas and other holiday stuff



I saw Christmas decorations in a restaurant on Monday. That is way too soon. I can deal with the 12 days of Christmas -not 12 months of it.

Halloween is coming up. It’s the second most expensive holiday after Christmas. People go all out. Anyone else remember when it was a day for the kids? I think more adults than kids dress up. My lovely wife has informed me that we are going to a costume ball. I told her I’m going as a midget. She was not amused.

Holidays get diluted. Memory and history fade. The reasons for the holiday get reduced to something that would fit in a tweet. At some point, it’s nothing more than a long weekend -another day off -or at least a day when you can’t get any banking or government business done.

Some holidays lose their unique status. Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays get combined into Presidents Day. Other holidays disappear entirely. Some states used to celebrate “Fast Day.” Of course, a day of fasting and prayer doesn’t hold much attraction to people today.

Columbus Day is now politically incorrect. That’s a tough one. Columbus was not just an explorer; he was an exploiter. However, October needs a long weekend or two, so it’s hard to let it go. Why don’t we keep the holiday but call it Genocide Day?

Holidays originate to mark notable events. I’m sure that Veteran’s Day meant a lot more to people when memories were fresh. Time wears away at holidays. Some endure, like Christmas; a holiday around the winter solstice is almost universal. Of course, now it’s all about a huge retail season -sad, really.

I used to note the holidays of other cultures, just for the fun of it. If you look hard enough, every day is a holiday for someone somewhere. I used to say things like: Happy Chinese New Year! While I’m on the subject of other people’s holidays, why doesn’t the US celebrate Carnival? Is it that darn Puritan influence? I sure as heck could use the occasional raucous street party. Mardi Gras doesn’t count. New Orleans is a special case. The rules are different there.

There should be a rule against Christmas decorations in September. I don’t care how much money the holiday pulls in. That’s just wrong. It makes me want to celebrate Fast Day.

-Sixbears

16 comments:

  1. I think it's interesting that in a country where the majority of citizens still consider themselves Christian (amazing), we've let the (artificial) purpose of Christmas be forgotten, ignore Easter (also of pagan origins, but easier to justify), ignore Thanksgiving (America's only TRUE Christian holiday), and have a blow-out over Halloween, which is basically the devil's version of Christmas. No matter what a person's beliefs, it looks a little strange.

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  2. Remember way, way back when Christmas decorations went up after Thanksgiving?
    All of our treasured holidays have been lost in the murky swamp of political correctness.
    I know businesses are hurting, but who has any extra money to spend on Chinese garbage anyway?

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    1. Who indeed? Maybe if we were all broke at Christmas, we could get together with family, sing a few songs, and enjoy a meal. The best Christmas our family had was the one when we were totally broke.

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  3. I hate seeing and hearing tidings of Christmas before Hallowe'en. Christmas means nothing today except consumerism. I celebrate the winter solstice instead. And I won't go into the true spirit of Hallowe'en. Enough to say it has nothing to do with the devil.

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    1. Give me a good honest pagan holiday over a corrupted Christian one. Of course, the pagan ones have been corrupted too.

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  4. Yawp, it seems that the Thanksgiving Holiday is being pushed out for Black Friday, they are mentioned in same breath it seems like, as if they go hand in hand.

    No Christmas sales or decorations yet (its going to hit the century mark or close for a couple of weeks still), but you know its just around the corner.

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    1. Too bad about Thanksgiving getting associated with Black Friday. I happen to like Thanksgiving.

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  5. Holidays don't mean much to me anymore. Too commercial. The only thing I like about them now is getting together with the family.

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    1. How about families make their own holidays and celebrate it the way that makes sense to them? Could be fun.

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  6. You are sure right about the stores trying to get an early start on Christmas. Remember my blog back in August about it and showing pictures inside a Hobby-Lobby store? http://dizzydick.blogspot.com/2012/08/wondering-is-it-christmas-already.html

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    1. I remember. Guess it's not just happening in TX. Are people desperate for those Christmas sales? So desperate that they move Christmas into summer?

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    2. I have seen a few pawn shops with signs that list Christmas layaway plans already. Also some credit unions sending Christmas loans as well.

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  7. Would sir like those kids to get off his lawn as well?

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  8. I don't do christmas or hanukkah in our home, I try to spoil those that need it all year long, in that I mean I am nice to them, most people are starving out where I live, I help people at the food place, the womens' shelter and my hubby's youngest brother with ptsd and who works every damn day of his life...He has had a hellatious life, one wife who was nuts, lots his kids 3 to adoption, lived with a woman he wanted to marry she had MD and died from it nearly 10 years ago on his own, helped him out a lot, still do checks and stuff he needs to live food, clothing (new) and listening to him, he is lonely wants another woman in his life, don't know if that will happen he has so many medical/mental problems most people don't really know him or want to know him, his siblings cannot or won't help him out, but my hubby is the oldest of the family and is the best in the whole world. I am nice to him, better than the family I came from so I spoil him, why do people wait for christmas and hanukkah to help out their loved ones, to me christmas & hanukkah are each day a person is on this earth to love and show love, why spend more money for retailers to be happy and your credit cards not to be happy, paying off them all year long beside the holiday that is just plain crazy! I like your blog you write from your heart and mind, too bad others don't think the way you do because our country would be happier and folks would be really kind and for real!!!!!!!!!!!

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