ACOT Message Board

I like to see Christmas as a process.  I don't start thinking about it or making lists until after Halloween, and I don't start decorating, shopping or listening to Christmas music until the day after Thanksgiving.  It's so much fun to build up the anticipation, eat that turkey and cranberry sauce, and then wake up on the Friday after Thanksgiving and begin the 45 day immersion into Christmas Carols, the 30 day push to get all presents purchased and wrapped, the yummy anticipation of what it will feel like when I wake up on Christmas morning... yeah, ok, whatever kind of freak you think I am, I love the process of Christmas.Now I accepted years ago that Christmas displays were going up earlier in the stores.  I accepted all the ads being geared towards Christmas purchases.  And I knew that Christmas decorations were starting to go up before Thanksgiving.But the Christmas Music - there was one thing I could count on.  The day after Thanksgiving one of our stations moves to playing 24 hour a day Christmas Music, and not a moment sooner.  So imagine my shock (and a bit of horror) yesterday when I turned on the radio (we were out of town, so I don't know which station it was) and there they are, playing Christmas Music.  DH tried to calm me down, insisting it was not Christmas Music, just Barry Manilow, but after the second song came on, even he had to admit it was true.  Christmas Music at the beginning of November.  No chance to prep my mind for the melodies, not a chance that I could brush up on my lyrics, no big delicious turkey to lull my body into the relaxed mood that Christmas music is best enjoyed in.  Nope, here I am, driving down the road, no Christmas spirit in sight, and my ears are jarred by the very un-seasonal sounds of my radio.  My entire Christmas season may be traumatized beyond repair by this disturbing turn of events.

I'm with you! I'll change that station faster than you can say no listeners!My brain cannot process the Christmas season until I have had a bunch of turkey, stuffing, and gravy!

I am so with you Tania!  It gets worse every year   Christmas doesn't even begin until December 25!

I can see why some people don't like it.  But, for me and my family, we like the excitement to last.  There is so much baking to do, so many functions to attend, etc., to wait until the day after Thanksgiving just doesn't afford us enough time.  If we wait until the last week of November, it would take too long to get everything up and done.  It would be so forced and rushed we wouldn't have time to actually enjoy our decorations and family time.  For me, the first snow fall puts me in the mood.I don't think you're a freak, but at the same time, I don't think I'm a freak either!

I wonder if I feel differently because I am Canadian and we had Thanksgiving on October 8th? As well we have already had snow on several occasions.Once Halloween is over, I start to gear up for Christmas. We put the outdoor lights up today (we have to do that early here as it will be too cold soon to be outside for that long!) I started to decorate the inside of the house, I'll be done this week.I watched a Disney Christmas movie today too.As for the 24hr Christmas music stations, I prefer if that starts on December 1st.

I think you should look for the silver lining.  Imagine all the people in the world who have to spend that kind of energy looking for their next meal or something.  And here in the relatively wealthy United States, we have the luxury of complaining about such things!

Gosh, my holiday shopping is 95% done, I am already doing counts of items needs to fully decorate our home from top to bottom--inside and out--and we'll have the lights hung this coming weekend (though we do not turn them on until Thanksgiving night) but the company we use for light stringing says they start in late Sept with Christmas light business.I think that we are rushed in so many aspects of our lives and so few people get to stop and relax and really enjoy Christmas, I am glad that there is time starting in early November to begin to celebrate and get ourselves into a joyous frame of mind for a wonderful day.  I know too many people who don't start their shopping, planning or prep work until after Thanksgiving--and they are often the bitter folks who I am just waiting to hear say 'Bah Humbug!', because I think you need time to ebb and flow and not being playing beat the clock with Jesus' birthday.

Decorations have been going up already around town and getting ready to do our holiday lights next sunday outside. I wish our station at work changed to christmas music already.

Nope, Laura, I will not call you a freak for that, I'm always glad to see people enjoy the Christmas season.  However, even more than that I like to hold tightly onto my traditions, and one of those is that Christmas starts the day after Thanksgiving, and lasts until January 6.  November is prep time, it's the time when I start thinking about Christmas, it is not the time when I start celebrating Christmas. Yep, there are way worse things in this world to have to deal with, and I know that if the worst thing I have going on in my life is an early Christmas celebration then I should count myself blessed (which it's not, by the way, it's just the most shocking to my senses right now, the rest of my current difficulties were expected ).

I was shocked too yesterday as I was shopping at WalMart, and I am hearing "I'll be home for Christmas"! It's too early as far I as I am concerned.  I am sure those shelf stockers were shaking to get the Halloween stuff marked down in order to make room for the Christmas stuff.  I am starting to gear myself to start thinking about it... I have to start shopping early, cos by December, everything here is sold out. Today, I pulled the cookie recipes out (thus the poll) just to plan what I would like to do...but I agree...it's a process.  The lights don't come on our house until the last weekend in November, the tourtiere isn't made until the first few weeks in December..the tree isn't decorated until the 15thish, and the decorations in the house come the first weekend in December.  Christmas music should wait until at least December 1.  JMO

There are some radio stations here that start November 1st.  I don't know how they get all those listeners.  I remember when I used to work at a mall where they piped xmas music all day long.  By the week before xmas, you were so sick of it, you were ready to shoot the speakers.  Hearing the music so early, just gets me tense and I feel the pressure of the holidays and everything that has to be done.  For me, this year, I have to get everything done a bit earlier because I will be celebrating with the family on the 16th of December because we are then flying to California to be with my daughter's family for xmas.  HO, HO, HO!

Ummm, yeah...I like to "wait" for that stuff, too!Don't get me wrong...I am thinking of doing shopping for my loved ones...as I don't want to wait too long....but one holiday at a time people!

Wait.  You actually listened to a full Barry Manilow song? 

I agree....it is annoying. However, they do it  because too many people want to go along with it!  All of you who are done with your shopping....this is your fault!  

LOL Laura!

I guess I am on the unpopular side!  Over here, we love, love, love Christmas!  I usually put up my tree the first weekend in November and play music from that time on...for one, putting out all the Christmas stuff is too much work for a little over 3 weeks to look at.  We really enjoy our decorations here.  Even the Thanksgiving eve, my dh, dd and I all pull out the sofa bed in the living room that night and turn on the Christmas tree and the fireplace and we watch any Christmas shows that are on t.v.  late on into the night (I believe the Christmas Story we watched last year!). I have been listening to Christmas music since Nov.1, our xm radio has a Seasonal station on it and we rock to Christmas music!  Hey, look at it like this!  People are usually nicer around Christmas time... Maybe this change will make them nicer for a  little longer!

I don't get it either!  I am not ready for Christmas shopping or decorating. I went to our Towne Center on Saturday becuase dd needed fall shoes and ds needed some pj's.  The place was mobbed!  It was more crowded than I have ever seen.  They had crossing gaurds at the major intersections directing traffic already. What happened to Vetran's day sales?  Now its a push to over buy for Christmas because we all know that people who buy this early forget and buy more later.Bah Humbug!Laura

I KNOWWWWWWWWW!@!!!!!!!!!!!Folks are already putting up their lights on my road - dh brought home a singing Turkey yesterday for the kids, so cute, but it sings DECK THE HALLS!  So that's all we're hearing at our house now!

LOL, Laura!  But, those of us who shop through the year and are mostly done aren't the ones who have to put up with the early retail holiday season.  The thing is . . . the stores and malls are starting earlier and earlier for money.  Plain and simple.  Santa arrived at our mall on Saturday.  It's a draw to get you to spend money.The radio playing Christmas music . . . not sure what they have to gain other than accomodating peoples request. But, families who decorate their homes early, shop early, put up their tree early . . . we've got nothing to gain from it other than the sheer enjoyment of the magic of the holiday.   My neighbor asked me on Saturday what I was up to and I told her putting up the tree.  She was like "Jeez.  Are you kidding?  What are you doing that for?  I would never put it up that early. That's crazy."  My response was "Why in the world do you care when I put my tree up?  You don't live in my house and therefore don't have to see my holiday decorations."  Seriously, it doesn't make you a "Bah Hum Bug" if you don't like seeing it too early, but it also doesn't make me or any of the other early birds "cuckoo" either. 

I don't want to hear Christmas music that long, but I don't mind the stores having their stuff out and I don't mind a little more time to decorate.  We started on the train garden this w/e.  It probably takes 2 or 3 wks to set up, so we have it done by Thanksgiving and it comes down in Feb....way too much work to just have up for 3 wks!   I like to take the decorations out of the attic now, and by Thanksgiving w/e, start setting up.  I do like to enjoy decorations for a while, they are so pretty!