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It just proves my point that some people complain about the over commecialization of Christmas, some people complain that Christmas isn't commercialized enough, some people complain that other religions are commercialized too much, etc., etc. People are going to complain. Noone can make everyone happy so you just have to do what is right for you and your family!!
You see, if you think "commercially" it might not be "the most wonderful time" but if you think of what Christmas IS then with the start of Advent I'm sure you will agree "it's the most wonderful time of the year".
CC maybe you have fallen too deeply into "the hype " as you put it and need to reflect more of the spirit. Only a suggestion as you sound sooo down. Cheer up, 4 weeks to Christmas "the most wonderful time of the year" anyway you look at it.
Just a thought . . . I think this has been a tough year for most folks. Lots of big issues and disappointments (and some really awful financial stuff) has occurred in many of our lives in 2009. Job loss, financial hits, economic doldrum across the country, illnesses for some of us and our families . . . Speaking for myself . . . I won't mind seeing the clock hit 12 at midnite on 12/31/09. I am ready to start a New Year. It may be just as dreary in 2010 - but at least I can have a demarkation line drawn on 12/31/09 and say "I SURVIVED THE $*%# of 2009!!!!!!" which (for me) will be an accomplishment, indeed.
So as we reach the end of AD 2009, I am feeling happy despite memories that I could CHOOSE to associate with the Holidays, including all sorts of things from deaths of close friends and loved ones to job loss (anyone else been laid off on Christmas Eve? It sucked) and various other disappointments that have transpired during Christmas Seasons Past.
However, I CHOOSE to think about the holiday period from Thanksgiving to Epiphany as a time of joy and warmth, and I CHOOSE to be optimistic about what is right in my life. I can't save the world! I can only do my small part, which begins at home, where I have remained steadfast in my attempts to make every Christmas Season one filled with good things baking, festive decorations and lots of music, both sacred and secular.
I don't care how crappy I feel on the inside . . . I assume an attitude on the exterior so that when others encounter me (whether at home or out in public) I will be adding to the positive vibes. Who cares how tacky the yard displays are? As long as folks are having fun . . . I used to be SUCH a total Williamsburg Snob about outdoor decor . . . but I learned something along the way . . . If it makes folks happy, then who cares if it conforms to my ideal of what a "properly decorated home" may be.
Sometimes, you just have to let go and jump in and be the person who starts with spreading the good cheer - even if you don't feel like it. Others will respond!!! Amazing how we can all lift one another up, if only for a few days.
Put out your multi-color lights and big plastic balls w/ the Dancing Frosty, as fake snow flurries swish in a continual orbit . . . Climb up on your roof and strap down that blinking Santa w/ his Sleigh. Pipe music outdoors! Synchronize your lights! At least you were trying to spread some GOOD CHEER - something I think we are all in short supply of on this November night in 2009.
I love the Christmas season, but IMO, any sign of it before Thanksgiving is too soon!
Agreed...I like to take (and enjoy) each holiday on its own...first Halloween, then Thanksgiving, and then Christmas. As Christmas starts earlier and earlier, it makes me enjoy the holiday just a little less, as the bombardment of commercials, etc. makes me feel a little burned out by the time December 25 actually gets here. So I tend to tune it all out until after the Turkey is eaten and picked over for leftovers.
That said, we'll be doing our decorating next weekend. A small tree, a wreath on the door, a few lights on the deck. We were still settling into the new house around this time last year, so we did not do any decorating - and it felt like a little something was missing then.
Ani, you are right in that I wish that I could save the world; not for myself, mind, but, for the people that are hurting. this was NOT a complaint, just a thought. figured that there might be some others on this board that were similarly disenchanted with the whole thing for a variety of reasons, job loss, death of a loved one, etc. This was not a reflection on myself but rather a thought about the others that are suffering and how the pseudo-merriment affects them. When I was a single mother and did not have the funds to have a proper Christmas for my children, the whole thing was a constant reminder of my plight and that was a continual source of sadness for me.
Again, this is my opinion only and not trying to tell anyone how to live.
I am excited for Christmas b/c my kids get excited for Christmas. However I don't like that before Halloween I could already see Christmas decorations for sale. That is ridiculous. Let's take time and enjoy each holiday in its own time.
We are getting a tree this weekend, going to cut one down, either a road trip for us or a quicker trip (haven't decided yet). And we will have decorations up this weekend as well. Typically all our stuff stays up till January 6 as well.
One of the biggest things we plan on doing this year as well as continuing it over next year, with our two older ones is volunteering at a children's shelter or something similar that will teach us all to better appreciate what we have and to give back. I sometimes worry that my kids are very self-involved and don't realize just how lucky they are. I am sure that I take things for granted at times myself.
Christmas was always a big deal in my house growing up, so I keep that tradition alive. I will agree, I am not a fan of it before Thanksgiving, but the day after, I went out and got a tree. It brightens up the room and just makes things seem...happier. It was weird, being my first Xmas down here to be putting up the tree in mid 60 degree weather with the windows open, but hey, I'm not complaining. . .
Part of the problem with "Christmas so early" this year was b/c THanksgiving was so late. Retailers lost about a week in their brainwashing techniques.
Well, I'm not religious so Christmas doesn't have meaning for me as the birth of Christ. I don't have children and since we are an old family there aren't any child-relatives around, so Santa isn't an important figure. DH relatives are in New Mexico, California, northern Ohio, and some of them don't travel. We're not traveling because we're broke. But, I don't think it's worth my energy to object to all the commercial hoo-hah. I grew up in Rhode Island and what I loved about this time of year is snow, cold, icicles, sparkly lights reflecting off the snow, my family's tree buying trip on Dec 23rd to find the hugest cheapest tree possible (one year we paid $1.00 for a tree so huge we had to cut it down to get it into the house). I have wreaths or sprays of evergreens at the front and back doors because I love the smell. We might have a tree or maybe not - our happiness doesn't depend on it.
The thing is ... all any of us have is the present moment ... and we can choose to be happy in it or not ... whether 'tis a "holiday" or just any ole day ... and when people wish me "Happy Whatever" I don't growl if I don't observe the Whatever ... I just am pleased that they're wishing me happiness.
So, here is a sincere wish for everyone - happiness without attachment to gifts, decorations, candy canes, the presence or absence of people ... !
I really hate that the only music you can get on the radio now is Christmas music and everyone is putting up their decorations already....
C'mon guys!! It's only the first part of Dec!!
My family did not put up the tree until December 24th and that was when all the cousins came over to my Norwegian grandmother's house to decorate it. We then sang carols and, ultimately, gave out the gifts.
However, the tree stayed up until Epiphany or January 8th (my other grandmother's birthday).
I just have never gotten used to the decorations going up so early. (or coming down so early either)
I feel the same way. Back when I was a child growing up in Europe, I remember that we put up our Christmas tree a day or two before Christmas day, and took it down on January 7th, a day after the Three Wise Men came over with their gifts for the kids only. Someone in my street had their lights and decorations a week BEFORE Thanksgiving, really sickening. They don’t know the real meaning of Christmas.
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figured that there might be some others on this board that were similarly disenchanted with the whole thing for a variety of reasons, job loss, death of a loved one, etc. This was not a reflection on myself but rather a thought about the others that are suffering and how the pseudo-merriment affects them. When I was a single mother and did not have the funds to have a proper Christmas for my children, the whole thing was a constant reminder of my plight and that was a continual source of sadness for me. 
