October is here. It’s finally getting cool, and the days are getting shorter. Yesterday, I turned my headlights on at 5 p.m. I walked in Wal-Mart and smiled when I saw the pumpkins and straw. Halloween is just around the corner. However, my pleasant it’s-just-now-fall thoughts were rudely halted when I rounded the aisle to see the unbelievable.
Christmas stuff. Why in the world do we have Christmas stuff out already? It gets earlier every year. I expected Thanksgiving stuff. Displaying the biggest symbol of winter only two weeks into fall is going too far.
Not only is it annoying to stare at snowmen while it’s still close to 80 degrees outside, but it also takes away from the excitement of Christmas.
With the large number of “fake Santas” at malls, displays at stores and the onslaught of commercials, Christmas has been losing its pizzazz for some time now. It’s become more profit-driven and less magical for everyone.
I understand that businesses are out to make money, and theoretically, the longer goods are displayed, the more people will see them. However, we are barely out of September. The line has been crossed.
It makes me less likely to buy Christmas stuff because I don’t need it when it’s first on the shelves. By the time I do start thinking about decorating, I am sick of hearing “Jingle Bells,” watching cheap mannequins do a little jig and seeing revolving plastic pine trees.
What happened to the rule about not decorating until after Thanksgiving? Most people around here still seem to adhere to it. Translation: none of us wants to see the stuff yet.
I love Christmas. I love looking at Christmas stuff. But I like looking at Christmas stuff to get in the Christmas mood. It depresses me to look at all the stuff and know that I can’t get excited yet because Christmas is still over two months away.
Putting out Christmas stuff also takes attention away from the holidays that precede it. Stores only have so much space to devote to seasonal items, and having tinsel and trees displayed takes away from the Halloween items and the Thanksgiving items.
Many consider Halloween and the successive All Saint’s Day to be important holidays. Even more people value Thanksgiving. However, none of these holidays constitutes big spending days, so businesses concentrate more on Christmas.
Early Christmas displays should be put to a stop because they devalue these other holidays. They are annoying plots to get us to spend more money. The term “Christmas spirit” should not conjure up thoughts of dollar bills.
Keep Christmas exciting by keeping it out of stores for a little longer.
Jana Hatcher is a junior political science and psychology major. She can be reached at [email protected].