I suspect that if I made this post a long rant on the ever-lengthening Christmas season at every retail store in America, I would get a lot of nods of agreement. It used to be that Christmas started when Thanksgiving was over. Thanksgiving has been trampled underfoot, and now Halloween is the kickoff point. At this rate, in a few years Christmas season will start on July 5th. But as the saying goes, everyone talks about it but nobody does anything.
There is only one way to stop stores from turning into winter wonderlands in July – stop buying into it! Now, I don’t mean to not buy gifts. In fact, it is smart to buy things early so that you aren’t rushed later. My plan for the next year is to buy gift cards every time I have a little extra cash so that part of the ‘shopping’ is done far in advance.
This year, the Poor house is moving the goalposts back to Thanksgiving. After we take the Halloween decorations down, not a single speck of Christmas will be seen until we’ve digested enough of our turkey to move. No buying new decorations, no putting up a tree. And no shopping on Thanksgiving Day! That’s another thing that will only go away if *we* make it. Stores won’t open if few shoppers show up.
Holidays are supposed to be more than excuses to shop and eat. Each has a meaning, and even if you don’t subscribe to the religion attached to certain holidays, you can understand the emotion behind it. Christmas is for giving, not shopping.
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