This notion that we should be celebrating Christmas in September is infuriating to me. We can't get past one holiday before we're not just 1 but 2 holidays ahead at the retail outlets. Easter candy will be out before you know it. My wife hates walking into Walmart with me when they put the Christmas rows up before Halloween. I want to go down each row knocking down every item on the shelves.
This week a partition went up to Target asking that they not allow the "Holiday Creep" to invade their employees family time. Target is one of the many retailers opening up on Thanksgiving Day, vice the Black Friday day after. I totally support the person whom started that (and the many others that have followed).
Targets response is that our customers told us they wanted us to open earlier. Crack addicts want crack too, but you do give in to their wants. Someone HAS to take a stand!!!
This is one of the 2 days a year that use to be held sacred in our society. It was family time. Even with the fights and all, it was a time for kin folks and friends to gather, eat way to much, watch football, sit around telling stories of 'remember when we....' and so forth. No retailer would of even considered crossing that line 10 - 15 years ago.
So now we have......nope, not even then is retailer free...so we're down to 0 (that's a zero) days that are family days now. And we wonder why we have such a high divorce rate, why so many of our youth are in trouble, why stress levels are off the charts, and why parents don't have a clue what their kids are doing.
To me it's bad enough that schools no long honor those which use to be traditional holidays. But now the rest of society has turned each holiday into a cash cow and our kids don't have a clue what they stand for even. Growing up Memorial day, Labor Day, Veterans day, Presidents Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas were all family days. Picnics, parades, BBQs, flags, cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents were staples on those days. Today they are just another day of school or work.
There is a solution to all this, but it would take discipline on our citizens parts, something that also has slipped in our society. But the solution is that everyone stay home Thanksgiving. Don't go shopping. Wait till Friday morning to go buy all those Christmas gifts. Watch a movie with the family. Sit around the table and talk, laugh, have a glass of wine or what ever, just don't go shopping.
When the retailers put up Easter candy before Christmas is here, or Christmas before Halloween, DON'T buy anything from those aisle till after the holiday before is totally over with. If all of a sudden those because the slowest moving aisles in the store the stores will change their strategy.
I agree with Nordstroms, I want to celebrate one holiday at a time, and I want to celebrate it fully before I move to the next season. Kudos to Nordstroms for taking a stand. In support I promise to buy something from Nordstroms this season for under the tree. But don't worry, I won't do it till after Thanksgiving.
God Bless,
Dennis
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