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Sunday, November 9, 2014

How Many Days ?

If you live in the U.S. (eastern time zone) it's 45 days from today not counting minutes and seconds. If you need an exact number, there's  many sites that will do a daily countdown in days, hours, minutes, even seconds. Sadly, it's getting closer every year in retailing terms and could start even earlier in a few years — bathing suits next to Christmas trees?.

A few many stores had holiday decorations up way before Halloween. These photos were taken inside two local stores, one is a major retailer whose name starts with "W" at the beginning of October.
As we were travelling out of state in mid-October, there was no shortage of decorated trees in this major home improvement store — in various colors too for those wanting a blue Christmas (are you seeing this, Elvis?)


And, where there are trees, there are also lights; don't forget extension cords and candles.


Plus, decorative balls in colors other than green and red; blue for a blue or white tree?

Add in stars, angels candles and holiday jingles too.
And, don't forget the gift wrap and cards as if retailers would let us.






When we were growing up (OK we're dating ourselves), holiday decorations were held off until post Thanksgiving — not like now when several holidays converge or overlap. Back then when Halloween and Thanksgiving ended, department stores started the Christmas decorating/selling season. Christmas is already a bit too hectic and loses more of its special magic each year thanks to retailers and the buying public. 

So...have you started, finished with shopping/decorating or do you want to forget about Christmas before it arrives? 

Psst . . .it will be over soon and Valentines decorations could be out by Dec. 26, maybe sooner.

Yes, a rant

13 comments:

Out on the prairie said...

My family always decorated after Thanksgiving, but I have decorated on Thanksgiving Eve. The last couple years I admired others and that saved me hours of prep and take down.

MadSnapper said...

i preferred the excitement of the week after Thanksgiving Santa came to town the day after TG and all the stores blossomed with decorations ...in CVS yesterday one side of the aisle was Christmas the other fall and marked down Halloween... that said, when Christmas came after TG there were only a few glass balls and lights to buy and real trees were still the thing... all of this expensive junk now is the reason.. to tempt people to buy what they don't need. i was shocked to see pink, blue and BLACK trees, black is In with silver and black ornaments. not for me..

Country Gal said...

Some of our stores here had Christmas decorations up before Halloween was done ! It sure does come around fast ! Thanks for sharing , Have a good day !

Connie said...

I haven't started thinking about Christmas yet. In fact, I've only the last day or so started thinking about Thanksgiving. :-)

William Kendall said...

There's a place up where my parents lived for some years which was a Christmas shop. It was open from early May until sometime in January- the owners closed shop over the winter- but it was small, so it never seemed so in your face.

On the other hand, out in Michigan there's a Christmas shop that's huge, something in the size of acres. That would drive me nuts to be in there.

Emma Springfield said...

I have finished my shopping. I have all the gifts wrapped except for two. Because everyone is so far away I have to send them. The woman at the post office is so happy that I mail my packages the day after Thanksgiving. My theme for this year is gadgets. They include a pop-up toaster for hot dogs and buns, a cotton candy maker, a frozen desert maker, an all-in-one breakfast sandwich maker... you get the idea. I try to go for useful and fun. And if I shop all year I do not feel the huge money pinch all at once.

L. D. said...

I am at W today and wanted to buy some pots for African violets. The whole row of garden stuff is gone and one little section was left for sizes of pots that I didn't want. The entire garden center also was filled to the brim. I can not believe how much stuff they plan to sell this year. I guess I have to wait until it is all over before I repot my violets.

Ludwig said...

You still shopping for Christmas? With Valentine's Day just around the corner? And Easter not far away?

Montanagirl said...

LOVE your "rant", and I totally agree with you!!

Latane Barton said...

Oh Lordy help us... I bet by next July a store somewhere will have Christmas stuff out for sale. It just beats all.

Doris said...

I have started buying for the Grands, I start whenever I see something that i know they will enjoy and the price is right =) it does seem too soon for all the trees and all but I can see the reason from a retail point of view. It really doesn't bother me. I love Christmas so much...I'm ready for all the time Christmas music on the car radio to start now! Bring it on =)

Gail Dixon said...

I hate the over-commercialization of Christmas. I don't want to hear Christmas music or see decorations until after Thanksgiving. I have a strict one-holiday-at-a-time policy. :)

Unknown said...

Hi guyz, I used to love Christmas....now I still really like the decors, the songs and of course the true meaning. But since 2008 when we lost my only son/child, in December 18th he was only 44, it's nothing to me....we have no small children around and so what. I wish we could enjoy the seasons and holidays individually. instead of the commercialization of Christmas appearing in October...let me enjoy Halloween and Thanksgiving...until them, OI prefer to do something else, like a trip or cruise or???over Christmas.