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Thanksgiving comes first!

By adamg on Tue, 11/13/2007 - 11:23am

Jim Sullivan has nothing against Christmas - except for before Thanksgiving. He begins a list of the worst offenders and explains:

... I'm a Christian, so I have more than an annoyance factor at work here. I think that cheapening the holiday, by expanding it beyond reasonable bounds, does a world of disservice to my religion. It gives people a false view of it, by making it a greed-fest. However, if you aren’t a Christian, your take on matters is still important; maybe even more so than mine. If you're Jewish, for instance, I'm sure it makes you mad to see your religion's holy days buried beneath this overkill. If you're an atheist, it must truly make you seethe. Let it out. Tell the world that you've had enough.

Topics: 
Holidays
Free tagging: 
Christmas
Thanksgiving


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Comments

By bob on Tue, 11/13/2007 - 1:30pm.

Was quoting Bulger on the topic yesterday, Kinky Friedman
today:

"We jews believe it was santa claus that killed jesus christ"

I'm with Kinky on this one. Just walked past Macy's in
downtown crossing, and they're putting up a HUGE tree
on the front. Can't wait for the breathless daily
reportage on how holiday spending this year
compares to previous years.

By Ron Newman on Tue, 11/13/2007 - 2:27pm.

will probably be way down from last year, given that Filene's, Filene's Basement, and Barnes & Noble are all gone.

By Fénix (Bostonscapes) on Tue, 11/13/2007 - 3:20pm.

My way of dealing with it (since 2000): from late October until mid January I don't set foot inside shopping malls et al.

By eeka not logged in on Tue, 11/13/2007 - 4:22pm.

Yeah, the commercialization of it all gets to me too. But at least where I shop, there wasn't Xmas stuff being sold quite yet during our high holy days. I think it started appearing in around (sigh) mid-October.

By independentminded on Tue, 11/13/2007 - 8:18pm.

I'm from a secular Jewish family, and, while I'm not bothered by Christmas music per se (in fact, I think a lot of it's quite beautiful), I do mind the fact that iit's being played way, way too early. Christmas music in mid to late October/early November?? That's ludicrous, imo. What is the purpose of starting it so early?

Beats me!! Anyway, I'm also not crazy about the schmaltzy renditions of a lot of the Christmas music that blares full blast out of store radios or whatever.

By Cleary Squared on Tue, 11/13/2007 - 9:28pm.

Yes, it is WAY too early to have Christmas gewgaws, music and specials foisted on us. The day after Halloween should NEVER be the first official day of the holiday season.

I have an idea: No Xmas until December 1.

- Radio stations cannot play any form of Christmas music.
- No Santas in the malls.
- Xmas decorations OK, but music cannot be played until after December 1.
- Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, should be either a regular business day, opening at regular hours, with "door buster" and "hot toy that will go for $800 on eBay later that afternoon" sales PROHIBITED,
- OR the malls should dedicate that day to financial education (hey, why are you buying that $1.25 candy bar with that 30% APR credit card?). If you really wanted to go all-out, stores should dedicate that day to food pantries, veterans and homeless organizations, and that all-popular Buy Nothing Day.

Then, on December 1, we can overindulge in Christmas in all its forms and vices. Rachael Ray can go googly-eyed and froth out gingerbread latte mung until her eye sockets melt, and we can be taught again that Herbie is more efficient as a dentist than a toymaker. (Then again, I can't get mad at Charlie Brown specials - Linus and Lucy has been deeply ingrained into my brain.)

By EricaG on Wed, 11/14/2007 - 12:32am.

I am Jewish, though since I have Christian family members we celebrate a secular family-gathering version of Christmas, wherein we put the gift-giving and crass commercialism onto Christmas and celebrate our minor holiday about fried food in peace.

That said, even as a Christmas-celebrator, someone often quite happy to get into the Christmas spirit, it feels alienating to have the holiday and its commercialness invade so much of the fall. I can handle allowing Christmas to take over our shared public spaces during December. And since post-Thanksgiving is so close to December, well fine. I can handle that, Thanksgiving to New Years, even to 12th night. But starting before Halloween, in the middle of my completely-un-Christmaslike fall, is really alienating. I mean, it's just jarring. Christmas is all about chimes and red/green/white and cold weather. October and November are all about brown/orange/yellow/red leaves and pumpkins and warm apple cider. I don't like having that happy warm fall transition invaded by the winter holidays, and I don't like having to be reminded *all the time* that yes, everyone else and their brother's cousin's babysitter is Christian.

By Suldog on Wed, 11/14/2007 - 8:45am.

You all have such interesting viewpoints. Some of the things you mention are not in my purview, and thus add more value to the discussion. I thank you for that.

Hearing such an outpouring is heartening. There must be some way we can organize all of this beyond my little call for bloggers to post a "Thanksgiving Comes First" entry.

I've written to a few of the places I intend to boycott, and I received gracious - if basically unconcerned - replies. My letter to the editor was published. I think we can get somebody to listen, but we need more numbers.

Please - in addition to voicing your concerns and criticisms in this forum, let the folks who are annoying you know about it. When possible, speak with your wallet. Money talks. Maybe it will make a difference.

Anyway, THANKS! And if you DO write a "Thanksgiving Comes First" posting to your blog, let me know. Come Friday, I'll collect them all and provide links, etc.

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com