And no - it’s not a flame this tall…
We were at Costco last Sunday to get groceries etc… (costco is a super warehouse store)
They have Christmas stuff out already.
Is that wrong? Or is it just me?
I’m thoroughly disgusted.
While I agree in principal, I am inclined to cut Costco a little slack, Costco is supposed to be a wholesaler, IE they sell to stores to resell, so they should have it out a little earlier.
But I agree, I used to love the transition between Thanksgiving and Christmas When I was a kid, (wow do I sound old) the day after thanksgiving was a great day to see the window displays and the Christmas decorations in the stores and around town on street lights etc. That and the Christmas Music starting up on the Radio started off the season right. Now with it starting in September, all I am is burnt out by the time Christmas comes around.
Bah Humbug
Eric
I am with you on this subject! It really burns me! Cracker Barrel has their Holloween stuff out plus their Christmas stuff!! I asked the clerk why and she said that they did not want their competition to get ahead of them!!! I told her that I hope God would forgive them all and walked out!!
How I long for the “good old days” when things had a value and true meaning.
Hearing Christmas carols play right after halloween. Radio stations that switch their usual formate to nothing but solid Christmas carols immediately after Thanksgiving and continue solid Christmas carols until well after New Years Day. I love Bing Crosby’s Christmas carols but IN SEASON only (like trout fishing). 8T 
I worked at a store in a mall for one Christmas season (October, thru to March) and at a UPS hub for another (again, Oct thru to the end of that calendar year).
That was enough to pretty much kill my enthusiasm for the holidays completely, with the exception of enjoying Christmas Eve and Day, and Thanksgiving Day. Other than those three days, I’m pretty much anti-holiday.
Y’all are lucky.
Up here everyone changes to Christmas mode right after Thanksgiving too, … 'cept … Canadian Thanksgiving is the second MONDAY in October!!!
I don’t like it either you are not alone.
Oh, I don’t know. My local fly shop has the stuff I want for Christmas for sale all year long.
I vote we start the Christmas season on 24 December, and have the decorations put away by the morning of the 27th. That leaves one day to celebrate and one to digest.
Bah humbug.
Cookie
In my neck of the woods, all of the big box department stores like Wal Mart, K-Mart, Kohl’s, Target; even Home Depot & Lowe’s have the Xmas stuff out just before or after Labor Day. It’s been that way for years and I hate it too. Even Jolly Old St. Nick appears early, preempting the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or other local events as the “official” first Santa sighting for millions of kids.
Halloween stuff makes it appearance right after July 4th so they have room to display it after they put away all of the summer stuff. Don’t look for a BB-Q grill or a lawn chair after August 1st but if you need a sweater or a plastic orange pumpkin, we got 'em in aisle 3!
Back to School stuff rears it’s ugly head about a week after July 4th causing kid groans heard round the world.
Labor Day means Christmas and I guess Thanksgiving is just considered a “late bell” for all the non-brainwashed shoppers out there.
Valentine’s Day stuff appears on December 26th, quickly followed by Easter candy and bunnies on February 15th.
After that hold onto your hat because they clobber you with Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Graduations and before you know it…
…you are are back to July 4th displays, the day after Memorial Day!!
Personally I blame Hallmark for everything related to accelerated holiday schedules, displays and stupid holiday cards that they try to make you feel guilty about not sending. 
It makes me glad I am a procrastinator when it comes to holiday shopping.
I am not a procrastinator , I just haven’t done it yet!
All this stuff bounces off of me. I mostly don’t notice it anyway. I believe It is immoral for a Male person to begin shoping for presents more than 48 hours before Christmas morning anyway. I shop on Dec 23rd for my Wife’s present like any man should.
I blame bad winter road conditions and collapsed roofs due to snowfall accumulations all on Bing Crosby . Before he got 1/2 the world croaking out that dumb song everything was fine. But oh no He couldn’t leave well enough alone. He got everyone dreaming of a White Christmas. Then the snow gods heard all the commotion. Before you knew it there was scads of the evil white stuff clogging the highways and byways. I do not remember hearing of Mary and Joeseph skiing into bethleham for the blessed event. It was warm out. Dang you Bing Crosby
If elected I promise to ban snow to Mountain tops, Christmas cards and the occasional sno cone. Arenas may deposit a pile of it in their parking lots after each game but it must not exceed two parking spaces in area.
I wonder if having a successful Christmas season being a make or break reality could be influencing merchants to start up early. Its a wild crazy theory but sometimes I wonder bout stuff like that.
Steve Malcsan (sp?) still my favorite FAOL member due to his generous trade recently but DG is now a close 2nd. Christmas has been turned into a laughable season. I freakin hate it, except for the Christ part. My ideal Christmas includes a December with mild decorations and exactly 0 gifts. Oh boy, I need to shut up. I am officially riled already.
Christmas stuff before Thanksgiving is fine - I expect and demand a 50% discount on last years left overs!!
I agree, it upsets me as well. I miss ‘the good old days’ when the stores inventory actually matched the calender. It’s not just Xmas stuff either (although they seem to use this holiday to test our limits.)
What about all the stuff they had to remove from the shelves in order to make room for the Christmas decorations? Try to find some sandals or a bathing suit now, oops you are too late. Last Feburary I couldn’t replace a pair of winter gloves because all the stores had by then were the new Spring fashions!
I guess it’s a sign of he times where the big box retailers call the shots. Perhaps it will all meld together into one huge holiday of mass consumption with a few months off to recover and re-stock the shelves.
Happy ‘OctoberTdayXmasFest’ anyway…
Well, if the rest of the world is doing it perhaps FAOL should get a jump on things too… Next week we’ll start ramping up for independence day. Ya…
that’ll fix things.
This year I think I’m boycotting the whole Xmas fiasco.
My family can get together and take a family photograph for me.
Other than that, if they want they can donate to the local disaster relief or something.
One less customer for these people to profit off.
I’ve always said that my idea of the perfect house would be one where I had a fully decorated artificial Christmas tree that AUTOMATICALLY came up out of the floor at midnight on Christmas Eve. It would rise up on a hydraulic lift, complete with Christmas music and a fake fireplace behind it utilizing a flat screen TV and prerecorded DVD to display a roaring fire and the requisite crackling sounds.
Then, at exactly midnight on Christmas Day, the floor would open up again and down would go the tree and faux fireplace until next year.
I wonder of my wife would get mad if I cut a hole in family room floor and got started on this idea?
:rolleyes:
Warren;
Guess what was missing today when Doublewide and I stoped for dinner at that Cracker Barrel. Did so many people complain that they put the Christmas stuff away?
I’m with ya Ron. I mean for Pete’s sake. We still have Thanksgiving, Halloween, Columbus Day, and Labor Day to go through. Here’s another thing. I heard the other day, and I’m not sure if it’s Spokane or the entire state of Washington, that the term “Christmas Tree” is no longer to be used. It’s now going to be called a “Holiday Tree.” Now even I am getting torqued. If we get any more politically correct, we’ll all lose our individuality and identity.
Oh, and GnuBee (;)) Bing Crosby grew up in Spokane and we’re kind of proud of him. Besides, it was just one song. Who sang “Let it Snow?” That’s the guy we should blame.
I’m done now.
Blame Vaughn Monroe although Dino and a host of others covered it as well.
I liked Dino too much to blame him.