Preparing for Christmas

[LissaC]

[Mod.edit: this post and others following moved to form a new topic (MG)]

I was absolutely shocked to find out that my city put up the Christmas lights today.

Today. It's October 5th, it's 30ºC outside, and they put up the Christmas lights already.

This is definitely something I'll be complaining about on the next town hall meeting.

Jokes aside, I think people who do Christmas decoration in October don't understand that Christmas is a sad time for some of us. It's bad enough having to deal with Christmas in December, let alone dealing with a Christmas that starts sooner and sooner and extends well into January.

 

[TastyReuben]

Jokes aside, I think people who do Christmas decoration in October don't understand that Christmas is a sad time for some of us.

We (meaning I) generally put our outside ones up in October, just because once November arrives, the weather is too unpredictable, and I don’t want to risk trying to get them up in a sleet storm or something like that. We don’t turn them on until the weekend after Thanksgiving, though.

This year, since we never took the tree down, we’re probably going to go ahead and get it decorated very soon.

Im sorry Christmas isn’t a happy time for you, but I get it - I feel much the same during all of summer.

 

[karadekoolaid]

When we were kids, Christmas decorations never went up until 5 days before Christmas, and they were put away 12 days after. Christmas was always a very special time (carol singing, Xmas parties, etc., plus food items we never ever saw during the year ) so we treasured those brief moments of happiness and enjoyment.
My personal view is that those memories have now been over-commercialised and, therefore, diminished in importance, cheapened. That's a shame. It's all about money these days; ironic,since many more people are suffering in poverty.

 

[caseydog]

When we were kids, Christmas decorations never went up until 5 days before Christmas, and they were put away 12 days after. Christmas was always a very special time (carol singing, Xmas parties, etc., plus food items we never ever saw during the year ) so we treasured those brief moments of happiness and enjoyment.
My personal view is that those memories have now been over-commercialised and, therefore, diminished in importance, cheapened. That's a shame. It's all about money these days; ironic,since many more people are suffering in poverty.

Things are not so bleak here. And, I don't get upset about my neighbor's Christmas decorating... as long as it happens after Thanksgiving. I just don't do it, myself. I had to do it when I was married, as my ex-wife was just like TR about Christmas decorations. I got burned out on it.

Every year, I think about buying a nice Christmas wreath for my driveway gate. But, I never do. I'm sure I'll think about doing it again this year. Who knows, some year I may do it. But if I do, it will go up after Thanksgiving, and come down before New Year's Eve.

I do like going to the mall ONE TIME each year at Christmastime, to shop at the Hickory Farms pop-up store, and to buy some toys for kids through the Angel Tree program. It's getting harder... I always pick boys to buy for, and they want things now that I've never heard of. I want to buy Tonka trucks.

CD

 

[karadekoolaid]

I don't get upset about my neighbor's Christmas decorating... as long as it happens after Thanksgiving.

Yep - that seems reasonable, doesn't it? Like you, I haven't got a problem with that, although I wouldn't do it myself. We do Xmas stuff at the beginning of December; maybe the 2nd week? Nothing as austere as when I was a kid. You've got to enjoy it, after all.
BUT - there was a shop all decked out with Xmas stuff here at the end of AUGUST. That just doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[Herbaceous]

Jokes aside, I think people who do Christmas decoration in October don't understand that Christmas is a sad time for some of us. It's bad enough having to deal with Christmas in December, let alone dealing with a Christmas that starts sooner and sooner and extends well into January.

Yes, I agree with this and unfortunately I’m in the same boat. People in my family have a nasty tendency to kick the bucket around Christmas, including my grandmother on Christmas Day 2001.

It’s hard when Christmas reminds you of someone you’ve lost, and it stretches on for months and months, and it’s not socially acceptable to be outwardly grieving/sad/just generally a little down (being told constantly “cheer up, it’s Christmas!”)

 

[caseydog]

I don't have any bad memories associated with Christmas, although my grandmother died a few weeks before Christmas, and I was stuck in Dallas by a severe ice storm. Christmas had nothing to do with that. She could have died on my birthday, but my birthday would still happen on the same day, every year.

I just remember Christmas season being a few weeks long. That's just right for me. Other people like to stretch it out, and that's fine... for them.

CD

 

[TastyReuben]

BUT - there was a shop all decked out with Xmas stuff here at the end of AUGUST. That just doesn't make any sense to me.

That’s actually pretty easy to make sense of - shops are in business to make money. Shelf/floor space is finite, and they put out what people want to buy when they want to buy it. That’s all it is, and Christmas stuff out in August is nothing new - everyone acts like it gets earlier every year, but it really doesn’t. I’ve seen Christmas stuff up in August at Sam’s Club for years and years.

 

[caseydog]

That’s actually pretty easy to make sense of - shops are in business to make money. Shelf/floor space is finite, and they put out what people want to buy when they want to buy it. That’s all it is, and Christmas stuff out in August is nothing new - everyone acts like it gets earlier every year, but it really doesn’t. I’ve seen Christmas stuff up in August at Sam’s Club for years and years.

You are actually making karadekoolaid's point about commercialization of Christmas.

I'd bet good money that people would spend just as much on Christmas whether the shelves were stocked for two months or six months. Just my opinion, but I only know one person who buys Christmas stuff all year around. I went to Lowes for some grass seed an hour ago. The lawn and garden section (what is left of it) is being taken over by the Christmas section, which was full of stuff. But, nobody was buying any of it. Not a single shopper was putting Christmas stuff in their cart.

I think retailers are just so dependent on Christmas sales to make their annual profit projections, that they start stocking Christmas stuff as soon as they can.

BTW, the best time to buy Christmas decorations, and wrapping paper is in January, when it is marked down as much as 80-percent. An artificial Christmas tree in November, figure on 150 bucks for a nice one. In January, the same tree is $39.99.

CD

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Just completed all our overseas Christmas presenting shopping last weekend. Won't wrap anything until we get to the UK though because of getting it through customs. If I wrap it, I know exactly what will happen! That's presents and cards.

If we weren't flying, we'd have been buying it in a week or two anyway because we've learnt over the years that from November onwards parcels take much longer to get to the UK, so we always ship the first week of November. There's still no guarantee that it will arrive in time but we will have at least tried. Usually the first week of November it takes maybe 10 days to arrive. Come the second or third week of November, it won't arrive until January at the earliest!

As for shopping for ourselves. I'll leave that until the end of November. The tree gets purchased the first weekend in December else they're won't be any left to buy.

 

[medtran49]

When I used to buy Christmas gifts for a good number of people I would buy year round. But, I shopped for unique and special things for each person so had to buy things when I found them.

We have a big store here called The Christmas Palace. It's been open for a VERY long time and is open year round. I haven't been there for at least 25 years when my dad and stepmom were visiting and she had to go there. It was mid summer at the time. At least it was nice and cool inside.

 

[TastyReuben]

You are actually making karadekoolaid's point about commercialization of Christmas.

There’s a commercial aspect, definitely. It has that in common with most things. If there’s a way to capitalize on it, someone will.

But…just because this person and that person and that other person are buying their lights and decorations and all that right now, doesn’t mean everyone has to. Each person is free to do as they like. In a sense, it’s only as commercialized as you let it be - does it really affect you one way or the other that that stuff is out and for sale?

I get that those inflatable Santas and Grinches are taking floor space from the grass seed and all that, but that happens everywhere. I went into Target a few months back for a hose reel or something or other, and they’d cleared nearly all the yard and garden stuff out and had back-to-school stuff out in its place.

It’s seasonal, they sell what sells at that time. If Lowe’s thought they’d make more selling grass seed, they’d stock that grass seed and leave the decorations on the truck.

I think some of the issue is that some people like things more organized, and don’t like much overlap, a sort of place-for-everything-and-everything-in-its-place mentality: “October is Halloween, November is Thanksgiving, and December is Christmas, and that’s just the way it should be*!” - that’s fine to think that way, but apparently, that’s not how everyone feels.

I also think there’s a certain ingrained behavior that we’re just supposed to complain about Christmas “arriving earlier every year” - my parents were saying that in the ‘70’s, and I’m sure my grandparents were saying it in the ‘50’s. If it really were arriving earlier every year, we’d be celebrating it year-round by now, because it’s been arriving earlier every year since the first one.

There’s room for everybody - celebrate early, late, or not at all. It’s all good. We need a kumbaya emoji!




*If you live in the US, anyway.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

When I used to buy Christmas gifts for a good number of people I would buy year round. But, I shopped for unique and special things for each person so had to buy things when I found them.

We do the same, plus everyone gets a proper Christmas card (per household and immediate family only plus one or two dear friends) that isn't a cheap pack of 10 job. Everyone always tells us that they look forward to getting our cards, and they are always the ones visitors are drawn to. I don't make my own landscape calendars any more, but they are always requested. If I do get back into being more mobile and start to explore more with my big dSLR camera (and get a new battery for it) I may start doing the personal calendars again but each household now gets an Aussie calendar that we've chosen specially for them.

 

[LissaC]

SatNavSaysStraightOn that's very nice of you. I think you do Christmas in a very thoughtful, kind way, which (in my opinion), is how it should be.

Me, I love buying gifts and preparing surprises for others but not on Christmas time. It's a really sad time for me personally plus all the hassle around buying gifts and the people crowding the store make the gift purchasing experience really stressful. I could buy the gifts in advance, but I'm always a bit fearful that people may not like the gift and may not be able to exchange it for something else since I bought it so far in advance.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

SatNavSaysStraightOn that's very nice of you. I think you do Christmas in a very thoughtful, kind way, which (in my opinion), is how it should be.

Me, I love buying gifts and preparing surprises for others but not on Christmas time. It's a really sad time for me personally plus all the hassle around buying gifts and the people crowding the store make the gift purchasing experience really stressful. I could buy the gifts in advance, but I'm always a bit fearful that people may not like the gift and may not be able to exchange it for something else since I bought it so far in advance.

Thank you.

It's not a great time of year for myself, and my brother either. It's a reminder that we've never really known our biological father (born on Christmas eve. It was either last year or this coming year he turned 80. It's on my brother's birth certificate but not mine. We were born in separate countries, so different data is recorded.). My brother feels his life would have been better knowing him. I don't share that view knowing what I do of him (from a dying woman who wanted to tell me more, but was too exhausted. We'd arranged to meet again just a couple of weeks later but she passed away just a week after she felt it was time we knew about the truth about our biological father, plus the few memories I have of him.) My brother though can't out won't let it go. That makes it difficult.

Christmas also overshadows my birthday with my in-laws on one occasion celebrating their son's birthday but not mine. We share the same birthday and he was very upset about it at the time. Oddly they've never really celebrated my birthday for some reason. I don't know why. Moving to Australia helped with those issues but it still hurts thinking back to it because even though it was a special birthday for him, it was for me as well. We're exactly 10 years apart.

As a result, I tend to celebrate my half birthday instead. Same day, just 6 months on. It's just a meal out but it means more to me and isn't as forced as a religious festival that means little to me, other than C for Christmas, A fit anniversary and B for birthday. All happen in a 5 day space.

Somehow, though I get the impression it is worse for you.