‘Twas Halloween Day and I needed some duplicate keys,
So off to Lowes I went and instead found Christmas trees!
Yes, Virginia, despite the fact that it’s early November and 70 degrees in Braintree, Christmas is on its way. I know because I can see the signs on Facebook, if I’m not already busy buying my Christmas tree at Lowes. I haven’t finished eating my leftover Halloween candy and my annual Thanksgiving road trip is still several weeks away, but the Christmas countdown has begun.
Way back when I was a youngster, it seemed that the holidays arrived in a more dignified fashion. In High School, I worked as a cashier at Medi Mart, (a precursor to CVS and Walgreens). The Christmas candy was delivered to the store’s stock room right after Halloween, but we didn’t put it on the sales floor until December 1st. It was a special treat to accompany my parents to Natick Mall on the Friday after Thanksgiving to see all newly unveiled Christmas decorations. Even better was the year that we went to Manhattan to see the Macy’s Day parade and got to see the Christmas windows in New York City.
Alas, the long wait is over. Just head to your nearest retail store and you can find Christmas galore. If you’ve been enjoying our unseasonably warm weather, you can even drive over in your convertible while wearing shorts! One could argue that in today’s society, most families have two working parents and time to shop and prepare for the holidays is a precious commodity. My own family all lives out of state, so I admit that I need time to purchase and mail their gifts. Last year, I shopped often and early, but I admit that when the actual holidays finally arrived, I was a little disappointed to have been so efficient.
What do you think? Are the holidays coming too quickly for you? Is there too much marketing hype? Have you set up your family gift exchange yet? Been invited to participate in a cookie swap? Selected your ugly Christmas sweater? Heard your first Christmas carol on the radio? Or are you just hiding your head in the sand?
