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Post by Anna on Nov 2, 2008 14:54:56 GMT -6
For each holiday, there is a season. A season dedicated solely to them.
And yet, over the last several years, I have noted a trend for other holidays to be lost, ignored, and overwhelmed by the Great Mass Spending On Useless Things season.
Before the kids can get dressed up in their costumes, and go trick or treating, Christmas trees are set up and Christmas decorations all around.
What happened to Thanksgiving? The bright, fall colors? The tradition of giving thanks for the important things in life, for gathering of families and counting blessings? For celebrating the bountiful harvests? Is Thanksgiving now to be ignored in a massive drive to sell, sell, sell?
Seriously, this is my least favorite time of year because the mass merchandising of a season that was once dedicated to joy, sharing, and kindness.
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Post by meimei on Nov 2, 2008 19:12:31 GMT -6
*Sigh* I do miss the days you didn't see a hint of Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving. But I can't protest the season, because I doggedly continue to celebrate each holiday seperately and refuse to pay attention to the next until the current one is over.
Right now it's Thanksgiving/Harvest, and the holiday following does not exist for a month. I ignore that isle of the store I work at determinedly. I even corrected my niece today when she asked if I was decorating for that holiday. It's too early. It's harvest time. We're decorating for that.
I don't know whether that makes me determined or just very, very stubborn.
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Post by Viola on Nov 3, 2008 0:42:02 GMT -6
Ah, we have only hints of Christmas over here, mostly because we have another festivity in front of it: Sinterklaas! It's generally assumed that Santa Claus has been based on our very own Sinterklaas. Which is fun and on December 5th, so it takes the Christmas away.
We have noticed a trend that more people shifting their celebration from Sinterklaas to Christmas, though. And still, preparations and sweets for Sinterklaas will be in the shops around September.
So yeah, I guess it's the same everywhere.
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Post by Anna on Nov 3, 2008 7:46:12 GMT -6
Sinterklaas and St. Nick's.  When I was a kid, we celebrated St. Nick's on December 5th. We hung the stockings and woke up in the morning with them stuffed full of things. I didn't notice any other families doing it, though, so it may have been something my mom's family did when she was a kid. I don't think either of my sisters continued the tradition with their own kids, more's the pity. |
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Post by meimei on Nov 3, 2008 22:03:09 GMT -6
For me growing up, it was Christmas on December 25th, and Little Christmas on January 6th. My mom's grandfather didn't celebrate Christmas, only Little Christmas. She wanted to keep part of that tradition so Christmas started the day after Thanksgiving, but didn't end until January 6th.
Most of the gifts were opened on December 25th, but there was always a few small ones for us on the 6th to share with eachother. And that was when you got to eat your gingerbreadmen from the tree too, since it was coming down the next day. ;D
Unfortunately my sister hasn't kept up that tradition with her kids either. They're still young though, and they were trying to figure out why their aunt's place was still decorated into January last year. I guess I'm just a sucker for tradition.
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Post by Viola on Nov 4, 2008 3:10:37 GMT -6
St Nick's? I guess it's the same thing, because Sinterklaas is originally Sint Nicolaas No stockings, though, but a basket full of presents delivered by one of his workers on the evening itself |
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Post by Multi-Facets on Nov 12, 2008 23:41:44 GMT -6
The building where the shop I work in is located is already decked out. All too soon, one of the radio stations will start playing carols and other Christmas songs, until the week of Christmas, in which they play NOTHING BUT holiday music.
I miss Christmas being purely in December too.
Maybe I should officially convert to Judaism.
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Post by Viola on Nov 14, 2008 10:00:43 GMT -6
I don't think conversion will make the festivities in shops go away  |
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Post by Multi-Facets on Nov 14, 2008 22:47:52 GMT -6
True, but at least then my holiday wouldn't be over-commercialized. XD
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Post by Multi-Facets on Nov 16, 2008 18:59:34 GMT -6
Oh ma GAWD.
K-Lite 106.3 in Colorado has started playing Christmas music ALREADY.
Oh. My. GODS.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
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When I was a kid, we celebrated St. Nick's on December 5th. We hung the stockings and woke up in the morning with them stuffed full of things. I didn't notice any other families doing it, though, so it may have been something my mom's family did when she was a kid.
