(no subject)

[hatman]

I've been seeing Christmas all over the place this month. Macy's has had a nook with a tree and all since the beginning November. One of the local radio stations has been on an all-Christmas playlist for some time now. I've been seeing Christmas ads on TV since before Halloween. And I live in New Jersey, where there's no shortage of Jews, and there are healthy and growing populations of Muslims and Hindus, too.

It used to be that Christmas season started in mid-December or so. Then it expanded to encompass the rest of the month. I'd almost gotten used to the idea of its inescapable presence for six weeks starting at the end of Thanksgiving. But now it's spread to all of November and seems to have a decent foothold in October.

I don't want to quash your celebration, but I don't like having it crammed down my throat. Just about everyone has some kind of holiday around winter solstice time. It'd be nice if we all acknowledged that variety together, in its proper time. But instead we have this ever-spreading monocultural commercialized juggernaut.

From where I'm standing, there's no war on Christmas. Christmas has declared war on the rest of the calendar, and it seems to be winning.

Comments

[doranwen.livejournal.com]

It's not just those who don't celebrate Christmas who think this is beyond ridiculous. Many of those of us who do are right there with you.

Exactly! I'm sick of the commercialization of all of it. Fine to have a couple isles with some trinkets; just don't put them out till at LEAST after Thanksgiving. Fine to play the occasional Christmas carol, but non-stop carols from the beginning of November on is rather sickening even for someone like me, who celebrates Christmas. (And personally, I think it'd be interesting to see more Chanukkah or Kwanzaa decorations. Some variety, maybe?)

I don't mind displays of Christmas or any other holiday, but when it gets earlier and earlier each year, and more and more commercialized . . . ugh!