I know it's cliche to complain about this, BUT

[Rebecca]

I really really hate how companies start celebrating Christmas right after Halloween. It just doesn't feel right until after Thanksgiving. I went to Bath & Body Works about a week ago, and they were playing Christmas carols and everything was RED and there were presents everywhere. I fucking hate hearing "Let It Snow" when it's 80 degrees outside! Plus, I really really like Christmas. But by the time it's actually Christmas, I am sick of it already.

Slightly unrelated: I got a flyer in the mail (I get lots of conservative mailings since I moved) about "defending Christmas from the liberal media." It encouraged me to send REAL Christmas cards and to not say "Happy Holidays." They were selling Christmas cards with Santa dressed as a soldier (complete with candy cane sword) and ribbon car magnets that said "Merry Christmas: Preserve, Defend, and Protect." I got a good five minutes of laughter out of it. People who try to protect the meaning of Christmas from commercialism should just give up. That battle was lost a long time ago.

[aquaphase]

after?!?!?!?! The three targets I frequent all had Christmas stuff encroaching on the Halloween stuff by October 19. That is out and out bullshits.

[ifihadahifi]

I've grown accustomed to seeing the early efforts to commercialize on Christmas. It's been happening as long as I can remember. I actually get in the mood around the first week of November but I restrain myself.

But it has been pushed a bit to far. I noticed things out in late September this year.

Maybe my childhood wish of having Christmas year round is actually happening.

[James]

The bottom line:

Halloween doesn't make much money (unless you're a candy company or costume maker)

Thanksgiving doesn't make much money (unless you're a turkey farm or make a food commonly eaten at Thanksgiving)

Christmas is a moneymaking machine for a lot of industries. So the longer they make the Christmas season, the more they can possibly get. And the earlier they remind people of Christmas, the more people are likely to save earlier on to buy gifts and Christmas-related items.

And I suppose they have a reason for it; they always say how slow Christmas sales are over the last few years; they're just trying to get them back on level.



It's all about the Benjamins...

[mere1975]

Rebecca, would it make you feel better if you knew that Christmas also brought BUTTERSCOTCH
the Furr-Real animated pony to Target stores near you?

She whinnies when you brush her hair like Sam did.

- Mere "it's creepy AND awesome" 1975

P.S.
I am cringing at the thought of the dirty comments about to follow those photos. . .

[ifihadahifi]

Rebecca, would it make you feel better if you knew that Christmas also brought BUTTERSCOTCH
the Furr-Real animated pony to Target stores near you?

She whinnies when you brush her hair like Sam did.

- Mere "it's creepy AND awesome" 1975

P.S.
I am cringing at the thought of the dirty comments about to follow those photos. . .

So that's what Wee was angling for! She was describing it and I thought it was something from her own imagination.

ifihada-nowayinhell-hifi

[mr_j]

So that's what Wee was angling for! She was describing it and I thought it was something from her own imagination.

ifihada-nowayinhell-hifi

is it the 'the toy is stupid' rule, or is it the 'if i buy this, she's gonna get bored with the imitation and start demanding the real thing?' rule?

[zenmomma]

P.S. I am cringing at the thought of the dirty comments about to follow those photos. . .

I'll restrain myself and leave that one up to Dawg.

I'm just excited to see the inside of Target.

[katie]

i totally would have begged my parents for that when i was younger.

now, i just begged for those crazy rosetta stone language tapes. fluency in portuguese, here i come.

[Irock]

the Furr-Real animated pony to Target stores near you?

At first I thought this said "real fur."
And I was all, "They skin PONIES?!?!???"
But I'm muuuuuch better now.

My favorite Republican coworker was just telling me how happy she was that Wal-Mart is going with "Merry Christmas" this year, because in previous years they'd used, "happy hollidays," "due to pressure."
I asked her who these boogie-men liberals were who hate Christmas... I think "The War On Christmas" is really just another imagined assault to "motivate the base" into buying shit.
So then I made a joke about liberals under the bead and she said, "huh?" So I showed her the book...



...which she of course thought was brilliant, and now she's buying it for a friend's kid for Christmas. Next time maybe I'll keep my big fat liberal mouth shut.

[mr_j]

[quote="Irock"]think "The War On Christmas" is really just another imagined assault to "motivate the base" into buying shit.
[quote]

i dunno about that.
i got a thing from the post office yesterday in the mail
telling people the dates to have their packages in the mail
'to ensure arrival by holiday' the 25th.
not one mention of the word Christmas in the entire mailing.
then there's the 'holiday tree'--
there is a legitimate complaint in those who say that "Christmas" is being removed

[Irock]

Yeah, I see the word Christmas disapearing in some places. But what I mean is it's not a fucking conspiracy. It's a marketing strategy, which is all that Christmas ever was to Wal-Mart and other retailers in the first place.
While in some cases it's gotten out of hand to the point of silly (even ridiculous), in most cases it's just a matter of the fact that it's easier to put up one sign for "the holidays" than to use one for Thanksgiving, one for Christmas, one for Hanukkah, one for Kwanzaa, one for Festivus, and one for New Year's.

Their legitimate complant should to be directed at the retailers and producers of the good they believe ought to say "Christmas," not at The Big Bad Media Liberals.

[mr_j]

Yeah, I see the word Christmas disapearing in some places. But what I mean is it's not a fucking conspiracy. It's a marketing strategy, which is all that Christmas ever was to Wal-Mart and other retailers in the first place.
While in some cases it's gotten out of hand to the point of silly (even ridiculous), in most cases it's just a matter of the fact that it's easier to put up one sign for "the holidays" than to use one for Thanksgiving, one for Christmas, one for Hanukkah, one for Kwanzaa, one for Festivus, and one for New Year's.

my personal take is 'holiday' is okay before thanksgiving. not okay when you show a christmas tree, christmas presents, and the date 'december 25th' and using the word 'holiday' in lieu of Christmas. considering Kwanzaa isn't really a holiday, and Festivus is more of an obsession thing for the Seinfeld fanatic, i'm not really too overwhelmed by the whole 'holiday/christmas' thing, unless it's really blatant. in fact, i think it's more offensive to christians when you use 'holiday' in lieu of christmas than it is to say "christmas."

[mere1975]

in fact, i think it's more offensive to christians when you use 'holiday' in lieu of christmas than it is to say "christmas."

Why?

Because they acknowledge that others may not celebrate their holiday?

Because they don't presume that everyone else is Christian?

- Mere "it happens to be MY holiday too, but I don't believe I am slighting the Christ child one bit by wishing my friends -- or especially strangers -- a happy holiday season" 1975

[mr_j]

in fact, i think it's more offensive to christians when you use 'holiday' in lieu of christmas than it is to say "christmas."

Why?

Because they acknowledge that others may not celebrate their holiday?

Because they don't presume that everyone else is Christian?

- Mere "it happens to be MY holiday too, but I don't believe I am slighting the Christ child one bit by wishing my friends -- or especially strangers -- a happy holiday season" 1975

no, it's not that. when you're talking about December 25th, you're talking about Christmas. Not Hanukkah, not Kwanza. it's not that your tradition is being left out. imagine if there were commercials with a menorah or a dreidel or other customs of Hanukkah, and instead of saying "hanukkah" it says "holiday." would you be upset if advertising agencies and companies took EVERY TRADITION of your holiday customs, exploited it, and then refused to say the word "hanukkah"? that's how it's offensive to Christians. because so much of this is about taking all of the customs of one day, and denying the very *essense* of that holiday.