- submitted by s.levenstein on 10/21/2009
Bah Humbug. Christmas Already, In October!?
By Steve Levenstein
I was browsing the local mall last weekend with my charming wife, when what to our wondering eyes did appear but... Santa, his sled, and eight tiny reindeer! The whole red, white and green extravaganza, with faux snow on top. What the hell?? Did I hit my head on a rock and spend two months in a coma or something?
If I didn't, then I sure would like to -- horror of horrors, the commercial Christmas come-on has commenced; bigger, badder and sooner than ever before.
Upon arriving back home I rushed to check my calendar. People, it's not even mid-October. The leaves have just begun to change into their autumn colors, and that's way up in Toronto. Snow -- real, not faux -- has yet to fall. Heck, we don't even turn the damned clocks back for another couple of weeks! And yet, the stores just can't wait to get into Xmas mode.
The overly early arrival of that most festive of seasons has, somewhat amusingly, created some logistical issues for stores who only lately decked their halls with Halloween-themed goodies. Look out orange & black, make room for the red & green! Don't ask me how Thanksgiving is going to raise its head above the traffic jam of multi-holiday hucksterism; who can think about turkey when our brains are already being blitzed with Blitzen?
Seriously, we need some ground rules put in place to stem the rampant sprawl of holiday cheer. Wasn't the unofficial kick-off to Christmas always the day after Thanksgiving? That's when we start hearing those tired & true, cringe-worthy carols on the radio, and... oh no. Turn the radio off NOW and back away from the stereo, because if the stores are jumping the gun you can be sure there'll be an appropriate soundtrack.
"So what?", you may say, "We all need a little extra cheer, especially this year." Yes, and no... Not everyone feels the orgy of commercialism Christmas has become is even remotely cheery, but what really worries me are two things. First, the expansion of the holiday shopping season is becoming the new normal, just like the auto discounts, low finance rates and employee pricing that aren't a big deal to car-buyers anymore because everyone's doing it and they're expected.
The second leads naturally off the first: there's always someone who'll push the envelope just to stand out from the crowd. How long will it take for this year's October Xmas intro to slide inexorably back to September, or even earlier?
Up here, Staples has been using the "It's The Most, Wonderful Time Of The Year" jingle in August to highlight their annual back-to-school sale. It's a smart idea that's worked well for them -- but not for much longer. When the most wonderful time of the year becomes the ENTIRE year, what's left to wonder about?
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Steve Levenstein was born & raised at the then-northern edge of metro Toronto, Canada. Looking through the prism of the suburbs has not only given him a slightly skewed view of society, but has also helped frame the wider world as a series of variations on a theme. Closer to home, Toronto's multicultural mix acts as a rich, vibrant tonic -- an essential elixer that, by putting people out of their place, highlights the common humanity which lies within.
After a 15-year dip in the corporate pool, Steve abandoned the daily commute to focus on his first love, writing, and spending time with his family. Steve's wife of 18 years hails from Tokyo, Japan, and provides a unique window into the delights and diversions of modern Japanese culture while his 2 sons (the younger an established tech blogger in his own right) help keep the house from getting too quiet. Steve writes for a number of respected blogs including InventorSpot, WebUrbanist, Dark Roasted Blend and The Thinking Blog...read more rants
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