Okay don't get me wrong but am I the only one that is getting upset with Christmas being pushed father and farther up the calender.  I have nothing against Christmas, when my step daughter was young I loved the tradtion of Santa Claus and milk and cookies, okay just the cookies I don't like milk.  Even when Dew got bigger and grown I still would have a blast throwing my "Bloody Mary Christmas" Parties... No food or present but open bar and poker and guns and stories would fly.... BUT I go in a store today, for workI am not a shopping kind of girl, and there is alreadly Christmas displays  and oriments.... REALLY!!! Can I not enjoy Halloween and Thanksgiving with out Christmas slapping me in the face... Heck next year I will probally see this right after the forth of July...
Okay contiune on you joyly hooly way folks nothing to see here, Santa is still alive, coming to a store before all Hallows eve.

I don't & haven't got excited over Christmas in years....way too many folks are stressed to the max by this economy for this house to be concerned with deck the halls Norman Rockwell effect of try to find bliss through commercial consumer therapy.My shopping will be for Angel Tree, Toys for Tots, and a few single moms who work hard to just barely scrape through the month.What my heart aches for this year can't be bought with money or found in any store.

I wonder if Santa dresses up for Halloween?

 You truely have the sprit that should be Christmas.  I have not wanted in years, maybe decades and spend what I can on charitys like you. There are so many in need for what I think of as the simple things in life like food.  That is where my money goes...   I hope you are blessed with happiness always.


 Santa dressing for Halloween, now that would be a heck of a costume.

Bitchy, I feel the same way. I walked into my local home improvement store just to find out that they moved what i was looking for and had Christmas trees lights and all the other stuff in that area. To top it off they were playing jingle bells

Me and you both Bitchy. I enjoy Christmas, but for me the "countdown" begins on 5th December not early October. I understand business has to make money, but they have taken the joy out of Christmas for kids...no more excitement during the build up, "Santa Claus coming to Town" being played in shops in October, even the kids get sick of it by December. Also it puts big pressure on parents who may not have the money to buy all the stuff on a kids list, when he/she has 3 months to make that list ! When I was a "believer" my mam and dad would never buy anything for me during November and December saying that Santa rewarded those who wait (money was always tight) and the excitement was great....when my own two kids were growing we did the same (even tho' money was not a big problem) and to this day my two kids (27 & 24) thank me and Liz for this.....because even now Christmas means something to them, more than just a consumer pig out.

My mam (71) says " soon Santa will be delivering Valentine cards on Easter Sunday"...she may not be too far wrong

I'll miss Christmas this year as my rotation has me up in the North Sea from 22 Dec to 07 Jan

The true spirit of Christmas has been crushed and stomped on by the commercialization of it. Now I know everyone needs to make a buck but it has turned the true holiday into something to dread. Folks stomping on each other to save a buck on something they really don't need, each black Friday. Plus as you mentioned the earlier start to the shopping season. I no longer really care for the holiday as it cause more pain, anxiety and depression in people then it does good.
Don't peg me as a cold hearted bastard. I have a list of charities I donate to each month all year long not just the said holiday season.

Happy Halloween

Couldn't agree more!!! I LOVE Christmas... the Holiday, not the commercialism. I love the fact that family and friends get together always in a festive mood for parties and meals, and people tend to be a little more caring of others. And yes I love gift giving to an extent... but we don't get real carried away with gifts. Laura and I normally exchange one or two meaningful gifts and the kids get a few SURPRISES of things they didn't expect, But we certainly don't buy enough that we need three months to shop for it. To me I see so many families who have taken the FUN out of gift giving. They basically all make lists and give each other exactly what is on those lists. Opening presents on Christmas morning has become more like going through the bags when you come home from the store - you know exactly what's in there, you just don't know which one is next.

Coming from the retail marketing world it amazes me how many retailers count on people "Christmas Spirit" to make or break their bottom line for the entire year!

For so many people Christmas has went from the most joyfull time of year to the most stressful . I see people fighting for parking places at malls, rushing and stressing in the stores, running out to get more lights because the family down the street has more "Christmas Spirit", worrying about not having enough money to show their love with material gifts, and even viewing a visit from family members as a burden instead of a gift. Chill people, have a glass of egg nog and sit in front of a fire with family... Christmas ain't that hard

Yep, we love Christmas and all the traditions. A tree, a string of lights, Christmas parties, making gingerbread houses on Christmas Eve, going to Toy Runs and Food Drives, midnight mass, and family is the "Christmas Spirit" for us. But hey if you want to make your house visible from space and put $5000 worth of gifts under the tree, you go for it and celebrate Christmas however makes you happy!

Well said, all of you!
Christmas spirit? Yep, it's still there... in every post I read. Still here, in my ol crusty heart. That is where it resides... in our hearts. Give what you can, enjoy life, have fun, remember those past Christmas times and pass them on to family and friends.
For almost 15 years, a friend in Tucson and I sent the same Christmas card back and forth. Finally didn't have any room left to write on it and it had coffee stains, finger smudges and bent corners. When my wife of 25 years and I divorced, I sent it to him with a note that just said "Thanks for the memories Bro." He told me he still has it...
So folks, Live Love Laugh and hold Christmas in your heart... that's where it belongs.
Edge "HoHoHo" Walker

Bitchy, to me Christmas is about the birth of our Lord and Savior, not the commercialized one. Santa Claus? Really, let's not forget what this season is really about. Our nation is going down the toilet because we are forgetting and loosing our values and morals. I'm not a holier then thou person but let's think about this for a minute, where would we all be without God in our lives? No matter what denomination you belong to or religious beliefs you have just remember God still exists,is alive and well. I'm pretty sure that all Christians will agree to this.

Maybe they are trying to combine the holidays. Pretty soon they will be calling it HallowThanksChristmas!. Although Halloween needs to be totally separate from Thanksgiving and Christmas IMO!

I remember when I was a kid, first it was Halloween decorations everywhere, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas. It has become way to commercialized, it is not about giving, it is about the almighty dollar.

I always thought Christmas was supposed to be for the kids, and Thanksgiving for Family!

Ride Safe!

TD

Tear Drop that was funny... For my busy, often gone life style. I have combines celebrations together, I have called Thanksgiving, Christmas and New years Eve.... Thankmaseve

LOL Bitchy I like yours. I am going to have to do that!

We got into trouble with the neighbours last year, because we did not put up lights or a tree. With no kids in the house anymore, I did not see the point. Also, just a PITA to pull it all out and then put it all away. Yeah I was bah humbug last year....LOL. We also opened the presents as they came in, but did not tell anyone. Waited until after Christmas to say thanks.

Just wanted to add, during Christmas retail spending ....please make an effort to shop the mom & pop shops and buy American made products. ....not from some country where THE BIBLE would cost you your life.

TD if you remember from that "other site" I was in Ohio last year around Christmas time... Was going to spend it with Char, bring here dinner and festiveities. Unfortantly she passed before hand so I worked so those with little ones could go do the Santa thing with their loved ones...
But I have given and exchanged gifts as late as August before... On one of my Christmas in July bike trips was racing north to hook up with the good twin... Got there early so was hiding in a gas station off the interstate to sneek up behind her when she passed. Had a lady think it was really cool that we was celebrate so early but when I told her it was from the year before she was not that impressed and asked How come you are just now getting to this... Well me being me told her I just escaped from the mental ward and this was my frist chance to do Christmas ever... ; D

Obviously, my sweet friend, you are NOT the only one who feels like Christmas is coming WAAAAAY to soon.  Here's the thing, right in the "book" it says: "No man shall know the hour".  Why is it then, that the "big box", well, really, ALL the stores, seem to know it will be DECEMBER 25th???  So, let's start NOW!!!  Ok, enuf preachin', but seriously folks, this has gotten too far, out of control.  Like Lucky, and many others, I want to keep CHRIST in CHRISTMAS.  HE'S the reason, for the Season, right???  And even IF, you aren't a believer, I know that down deep you feel like CHRISTMAS should be special.  Not, all of the "COME HERE", "BUY HERE", "GET THE BEST DEALS HERE"...

Some of the best gifts, to give or receive, are the one's which come from the heart, not the wallet.  Gifts, that take a minute of just rememberin' that person, and what you know is in THEIR heart.  The commercialization of America, as well as other countries, AND lettin' THAT, be the barometer, of how to conduct ourselves, is exactly what is wrong with this country.  And THAT is not only heart-breakin'.  It's shame makin' stuff...

I, will personally, PRAY FOR US ALL! 

Ok, that's my two...I'm out. 

Ride Free  
Tweek

I believe Tweek, that why wait for Christmas (I also believe the Christ should stay there). Give all year round! I love to see people smile, which is why when I buy someone a birthday or Christmas gift. I want them to get it and open it right then. Waiting for a certain day seems kind of silly to me! But then that is just my opinion!

Good point Tweek and TD. Kind of like saying "I've been meaning to show how much I care, but I needed someone to tell me when"

Exactly Lucky! I don't need a certain day to tell or show someone how much I care for them! Something my dad taught me many years ago!

Not to get too far off subject, but that's why I don't buy gifts for Laura on Valentine's Day either. It is almost insulting to her that I needed a TV commercial to remind me to bring my wife flowers or a gift. I think flowers on Oct 12th would have a lot more meaning!

Im 60 years old and the holidays are so damn commercial that todays kids do not get what I got out of them. We try to keep them separate for our young family members but with TV, it's almost impossible  All you see is stuff like, "Christmas in July Sales".

I agree with you Bitchy. Halloween is my favorite holiday and Christmas decorations are in the stores before Halloween decorations are. I wish we can celebrate 1 holiday at a time. AND with the decorations being in the stores 3-4 months before Christmas and the commercials, by the time Christmas gets here I'm burned out.

What bothers me is the intense social and peer group pressure on folks to spend spend spend. Many people spend soooo much they spend the next 6-8 months trying to pay off the credit cards and loans. Many people let other more important things, such as health care, home maintenance, etc., slide so they can buy presents. When I lived in Europe the people there were absolutely shocked at how much of our income Americans spent on presents (Christmas and birthdays and weddings and going aways and Easter and....well you get the idea). Most concerning is how wasteful and worthless most of these gifts really are. Giving for the sake of giving to the point of real pain. I don't think this is in the spirit of most of the holidays--I think it is marketing by amoral companies and sales departments.