Caz

Ok,  Unless I'm mistaken and have pulled a Rip Van Winkle or something, todays date is September 27?  So imagine my extreme, although momentary, confusion when I entered my local BigW (Walmart for you American folks)  to be confronted with THIS!!!!!!

WTF!?!?!?

Seriously...  bloody christmas crap ALREADY!  Couldn't they wait till a civilized amount of time before D day to put that out???   November 1st is a perfectly good time to bring out the Christmas junk if you ask me.  Back when I was young, that's when it started appearing, the day after Halloween.  And by Thanksgiving (3rd Thursday in November) it was in full swing.  And it made sense that way.   Christmas stuff in the stores in September makes no sense.   It's so arbitrary and premature.  We will all be so bombarded with it all for the next 3full months, that we'll be friggin fed up with all things holiday themed by the time 'the big day' rolls around, and will just be ready for it to END ALREADY!  

As I wandered through the store to my destination, the towel department, I was then confronted by a jolly ole' santa cookie jar.  Rack off you freaky premature elf!  Come back in a month and we'll talk!  

Some cheery soul on an email group thought we'd all appreciate the reminder 'ONLY 13weeks until Christmas!'  I'm pretty sure everyone on the entire list wanted to scream abuse at her, I know I did... want to that is, cause I would never stoop to swearing at a computer.. *whistles innocently*

I think 'they' start it earlier and earlier every year, with the idea that if they build the holidays up to such grand proportions everyone will go ALL OUT (read spend absurd amounts of $$ in their stores) and have Norman Rockwell holidays.  What REALLY happens, is it puts pressure on mums (cause dad's usually just go with the flow) to create these amazing perfect holiday seasons... that reality can never live up to!  So we end up stressed out, disappointed and having a ginormous melt down requiring either valium or alcohol, by the end of the season.   

In my house, we're opting out of that crap. I'm committing now, to having a simple and happy holiday season.  Sure there will be gifts, and trees (hey, I'm pagan ..not dead!  Technically it's Midsummer, but I love my festive cultural Christmas) and baking.  But I will not give in to the compulsion to go overboard!  

Although...I must admit that purple tree in the pic was pretty awesome, and had me thinking...could I find a spot for a 2nd tree in my house??? LOL

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7 Responses
  1. Wendy Says:

    NO WAY!

    Wow! We usually don't see that stuff until the day after Halloween. So, yeah, November 1. LOL

    I love this:

    "Rack off you freaky premature elf!"

    Priceless!

    Let me get past Samhain/Halloween and THEN I'll consider Yule/Christmas.

    Perhaps we need a close-up pic of that purple tree. ;)


  2. Celestite Says:
    This comment has been removed by the author.

  3. Celestite Says:

    my previous comment had so many typos...I had to try again...not enough coffee yet, lol.

    It used to be tacky to have it up before Thanksgiving. Stores had workers in over the Thanksgiving weeked ---when ALL stores were closed ---to do the interior makeover for Christmas. I made money in high school doing this.

    I got over the commercialized crap for every single holiday years ago. I hardly even see it anymore.
    And I don't give out (ie, shop for) presents for Halloween or the 4th of July either.

    The whole thing is so out of control and absurd, it makes it easier to just tune it out.

    Just pretend it is really bad decorating!


  4. Kez Says:

    I've been told its up in Big W, KMart etc - I saw Xmas material in Spotlight weeks ago!! Insane!!!


  5. Caz Says:

    Wendy, I shall endeavour to get a close up next time I'm in the store.. I am avoiding them however, as I spent too much money LOL.

    Celestite, part of the problem here is NO Halloween, and NO thanksgiving! Australia does neither, so there's no 'natural barrier' to putting stuff up.

    Kez, fabric in spotlight I can actually forgive because it takes a fair bit of time to sew things up and have them ready by the holiday ;)

    All others though, well they just suck!


  6. Kylie Says:

    Valium or alcohol? Don't you mean both!!!! I had to do a double take just the other too when I saw a few xmas decco's around some shops.

    Yeah we are taking it easy this year, picnic lunch at a park...I'm so over the spending weeks preparing food and the likes for a day that I spend most of it stressed out ....it's time I also enjoyed xmas!!!!


  7. Caz Says:

    lol Kylie, no sadly my nursing career history hath drilled into my head that valium + booze = very very bad. So I'll just have extra of whichever I decide to go for! lol

    Picnic lunch sounds great.. we usually order a seafood platter, buy premade salads and some nice bread from the bakery. Add some fancy cheese & crackers & call it done! (not forgetting cheezels and olives for the kids to 'wear' on their fingers as they eat them ;)