11.5.04 Christmas Comes Early
Christmas seems insanely early. Even before Halloween was over, I already saw so much of what Christmas has to offer me in the way of retail this year. Walk into nearly any store and take a look around.
You will see the coming of Christmas on its shelves. However, Halloween has just ended. This is a problem.
Over Fall Break, I decided one-hour photo would be my best option for film development, the stereotypically impatient New Yorker that I am. I went to my local Wal-Mart PhotoCenter, dropped off my film and meandered in the store while I waited for my photos.
As I perused the merchandise, I decided that I would check out the Halloween section in lieu of staring uselessly at the limited selection of music. I felt nostalgic on my short walk, thinking about a time when the candy mattered more than the costume and my mom trailed me as I went from door to door.
The seasonal section looked like a war zone. Boxes were strewn everywhere, remnants of Halloween merchandise clung to the walls for fear of being tossed and scaffolding lay all over the place. Halloween was being replaced by Christmas at the hands of apathetic teenaged employees.
At first, I was annoyed that Wal-Mart would impede upon my ability to window shop as I reminisced about my younger years when Halloween was less about costumes and more about candy. Then I became frustrated.
Christmas is getting progressively earlier. Wal-Mart is stocking up on tinsel and cards. Bath and Body Works has cleared out its fall merchandise and is playing holiday music. Target and Bon-Ton have jumped on the bandwagon amongst many other merchants.
Businessmen are defaming one of the most important Christian holidays by making it increasingly more commercial. Granted, Christmas is far removed from its religious roots, but the sacredness and closeness of family that seems associated with the holiday is being compromised for the need to shop earlier, longer and better.
There used to be a time when Christmas merchandise was not put out until what retailers call “Black Friday,” which falls right after Thanksgiving. Are we going to be a generation of thirty somethings facing a Christmas season that starts in September? How is it that we can begin to think about this holiday in October and not be completely bored and frustrated with it by the time Thanksgiving rolls around?
I personally am not ready to start thinking about Christmas. I am not prepared to spend money on Christmas paraphernalia. It is not yet the time to lament about sending Christmas cards. In essence, these businessmen are rushing the last year before I leap headfirst into adulthood. They are not doing me favors by making Christmas readily available earlier.
This is only going to get progressively worse with the coming of Black Friday. When my female relatives used to quip about the holidays getting earlier, I laughed. Now I know better. You will be hard-pressed to find me in any mall until well past that time. Christmas is Dec. 25. I will not give in.