It doesn't really bother me. One of our local radio stations started playing Christmas songs yesterday - I actually knew most of the words to the songs, so I happily drove down the road, singing along.

I think, as I perceive it at least, the people of the world are so tense, that holiday decorations and music help lighten our burdens.

It does bother me, a lot. The whole Christmas celebration has been cheapened, it is no longer about the blessing of the gift we were given but about the gifts the retailers want us to buy. I absolutely hate it.

"Bothered"?Somewhat. Just reading my morning newspaper and learning more about these tough economic times.....maybe "the season" is starting early to give hope for more jobs...hope for those that "have" to share more with those that "have less". It (the Christmas Season) has already set my mind in motion wondering "what do we do....how do we help?" beyond what we usually do. Nanny

Was in Old Time Pottery, today, and heard my first Christmas music. Too early for me.

It DOES bother me... and I refuse to rush the seasons.
They can just wait for me to shop...

I love Christmas as much as anyone but prefer to celebrate it in it's own time. First I decorate for Halloween, then I celebrate and decorate for Thanksgiving THEN I have Christmas. I don't mind those who put up Christmas lights while the weather is good; I've done this myself. But I don't turn the lights on until after Thanksgiving. There are twenty five days between Thanksgiving and Christmas: PLENTY of time to give each holiday it's own honor.
Others can do what they please, but this is what I do.

Lori

I wouldn't say it bothers me.

Retail business is what it is, and it's no concern of mine.

What bothered me was all the Christmas stuff that was out in the end of August! I don't mind stuff out before Thanksgiving, even before Halloween is stretching it a bit but before Labor Day? Come on now, *that* was too early! At home we often didn't get a tree until a week or so before Xmas. Others in the family would put up the decorations just before Thanksgiving, especially when they're entertaining for Thanksgiving. That's fine. I put up some lights last weekend and brought the "tree" up from the basement but haven't set it up and decorated it yet.

I really got burned out on the holidays years ago but am getting a second wind now. I don't watch so much TV anymore so I'm not bombarded with it there. The stores, well they're the stores and that's how it goes. I'll be avoiding them more and more the next couple months.

People don't know what holidays are about anymore and the greed sets in. Just last night the holiday grouchiness was setting in. Four people had a headlight out - well more than that but with four I was able to get their attention and let them know their headlight was out. One was very nice, thanking me and saying she was told that morning by her husband. One was nice, thanking but saying she knew it and the other two? SNARL! Curious, they were all women with burned out lights... Hmmm. there's a great joke to be made here isn't there! :D

As of this time of year, the daylight is lessened and when coming home after dark it's nice to see the areas lit up. I like it any time of year, I don't think creative and festive lighting has to be Xmas. Especially the lighted deer and such.

I'd like to see the Christmas season start after Thanksgiving,too; but I also understand, as mentioned, about the retail business having to compete.

My real gripe is that my favorite Christmas tradition, the Christmas Madrigals, seem to begin earlier and earlier every year. November 19th. is too early! If possible I wish they would start the first week of December at least. Of course there are so many Madrigal productions anymore that there would be alot of scheduling conflicts.

I'm so old-fashioned that I don't even decorate my home until the weekend before Christmas. Actually, I'd love to put up the tree on Christmas Eve--as was always traditional when I was a kid--but things are just too busy these days. It really bugs me to go visiting during Christmas week and see people's trees that have already lost a ton of needles, and with ornaments that need dusting because the tree's been up too long already. Looks so sad and shabby to me.

That being said, I can understand the stores wanting to get things started in November. Their purpose is to make money, and they have to do everything they can to fulfill that goal.

I like it to start later also, because a month is long enough. It has always been my favorite time of year. When I was younger I would put up my tree about 10 days before Christmas and take it down the day after. It was so much fun when my boys believed in Santa. The excitement was like electricity was in the air.

Monday I saw a row of live cut Christmas terees outside a supermarket. Also a neighbor had twisted some plastic holly around his outdoor gaslight. Too early! I love Christmas, but at least wait till the Friday after Thanksgiving to decorate!

Our local radio station starts the Christmas Carols on the 22nd. So a full month of full-time Christmas music. After a while......it does get tiring.

I don't think the stores should start promoting Christmas until after Nov 11, Remembrance Day. It's the least they could do, to honour our soldiers. But the decorations come out soon as Halloween is over.

The largest indoor mall in California, the Galleria at Roseville was decimated by an arson fire a month or so ago. About 70 of the over 200 stores have reopened (ALL stores and restaurants were closed for at least a week), but they're the ones that are at the opposite end of the mall where the first started. Even those stores suffered a great deal of water damage. Macy's, the anchor store close to the fire's origin, says it won't reopen until after Thanksgiving.

Any shopping that I don't do online, I will do at the Galleria. And I don't give a darn if they're advertising now. They earned the right.

Yes, it bugs me, makes me feel like I am always running behind. 2 weeks ago, already saw a house full on decorated too.

I loved it when my boys were stationed overseas when the store started Christmas early. We used to have to get the overseas boxes ready by the end of October .I remember the year one DS got orders to go to Korea It was in early October and we put all the Christmas decorations up. He loved it Of courseI missed my Halloween and Thnkgsgiving decor. that year .

Bothers me....I hated seeing Christmas stuff out before Veteran's Day.
But maybe all the early ads will "stimulate the economy."

i love it! i don't actually start anything for christmas till after thanksgiving but i need to feel like 'ohh my gosh i have to start now or i'll never get it all done'. our winter hibernation in orlando is summer and once oct starts it is constant social events every weekend till christmas. all of my family lives up north and i buy alot of gifts and make alot of candy and cookies to send too, all of that needs to be done early. last yr i really went out on a limb and knitted and crocheted something for everyone, not this yr LOL. i enjoy the season more the more time i have to get everything done :-) ~ liz

Move to Canada! We have Thanksgiving in mid-October. In our store, Halloween has to be gone within 4 days (ish...) and then Christmas goes up.

It seems like............Let's hurry up and get it over.
time is flying

Doesn't bother me one way or the other, but I understand why they're doing it.

With the economy the way it is, shopping patterns are unpredictable. No one wants to get stuck with inventory they have to mark down.

I think retailers are thinking the early bird gets the worm - better to get it out there and get the early shoppers than get it out too late when everyone has already bought, and get stuck.

When I was a kid in the 50's Christmas season was a week or two before Christmas.
Later it was right after Thanksgiving.
Lately it's been earlier and earlier....

My DD plays Christmas CD's in summer to feel festive...

They were putting out Christmas stuff here in the stores before Halloween! Why?

Again I do understand the retail stores having to get on board early, I guess what bothers me is to see poeple already decorating thier homes, I know several people who already have the tree up, etc...my own opinion is to wait and enjoy fall and celebrate Thanksgiving first.

Starting the Christmas activities immediately following Thanskgiving does not bother me. What did bother me was this year, it began 2 days before Halloween (in the stores). I walked into Sams Club on the day before Halloween and the Christmas stuff was pushing the halloween candy and decorations off the shelves.

Well, actually, It does not bother me that much because I do not participate in Christmas by the store's schedule - I go by mine and keep it simple.

Ditto Jemdanday.

Our family Xmas is celebrated on Jan.7th. We're all adults and we've done this for years by consensus. When grandchildren enter the picture we will revert to Xmas on the 25th like we did when our kids were young.

This frees as up to enjoy the holidays with no stress and none of the frenzy to get things done along with the herds.

I'll see the Rockettes this year, a Xmas play and visit displays with my friends. No stress.

Cheri, you said it exactly the way I feel it!

I've made the same comment so many times myself. I love Christmas. But I think the world seems to skip ahead to the Christmas season way too early. As a whole, we seem to overlook Thanksgiving, which is a wonderful time of thankfulness and celebration, or should be, anyway!

I always used to put of the tree about 10 days before Christmas, but that was because we always had a real tree. These last few years, I've given in, and we have an artificial tree (better for the environment anyway, I'm sure, but I do miss the smell and feel of a real tree). Since we don't have to worry about the tree drying out, we put up our indoor decorations the weekend after Thanksgiving. And we do extend the season, sometimes leaving them up most of January.

Gary has convinced me, this year, that we really do need to put up our outdoor decorations earlier. That's because we have so much snow. By Thanksgiving weekend, it's possible (though certainly not an every year thing) for us to have a couple of feet accumulated. Our average snow cover (that doesn't go away) here is typically about 32-36 inches. So, we are compromising. We now have probably 3/4 of the outdoor decorations up. BUT... we are not lighting them up yet. Twice now, after putting up a batch, we have lit them and left them til dark so that we could see how they looked, then they went off. They will not be lit again until after Thanksgiving. And, next year, I think we'll start putting them up earlier, probably sometime in October, again to avoid the snow and also the cold. But we won't light them until after Thanksgiving.

And, on that note, I want to add that I am so thankful for my family, my home, my job, and my life. My family and I have so much to be thankful for, not just at Thanksgiving but all year long.

Happy Thanksgiving, all, and a joyful Christmas season to follow!

Yes, it bugs me. I think it dilutes the enjoyment. Let's have Thanksgiving and enjoy that for what it's supposed to be, then gear up fast for Christmas. I think that's exciting. The way they start so early now makes it all old news before Christmas even gets here, IMO. I'd like to still enjoy the newness and excitement and celebration of it rather than be ready for the fanfare to be over.

I'm used to seeing Christmas trees in sears in september, right afterr the back to school rush.

I cannot get over the number of stores that are now open on Thanksgiving, I find that so sad. I guess they'll open on Christmas next.

I wouldn't say it's something that bothers me but I'll say that it is a bit much to be decorating and such before Thanksgiving. But in some cases, I get it. We have a huge D56 collection and in the past, I've created large, very elaborate villages as decorations in my house. Now that I have small kids, I haven't done any but when I did, I would put them up before Thanksgiving just because there's so much work involved in it, I want to enjoy them longer than a few weeks.

But the Santa Claus I saw at the mall at the very beginning of November was too much!

Steph, we put up D56 Snow Village, usually the week after THanksgiving, and always felt we did not get enough time to enjoy it. Now we leave it up until after Super Bowl, because of the winter scenes; not so much Christmas extension. lol!

I don't mind the early holiday, but I miss the special times of my youth where we truly celebrated the Thanksgiving tradition.

No, it doesn't bother me at all. I understand the need to have access to the upcoming holidays decorations in plenty of time if you are a crafter in need of supplies to make your crafts. I enjoy seeing all the festive decorations in stores for any and all holidays no matter how early.

I don't remember any Thanksgiving memories as a child that were particularly pleasant...except getting together with our cousins...The leaves are gone, the wind is cold, summer is long gone, I find this time of year rather gloomy and would take November off the calendar if possible...
My dauthter has her house all decorated for christmas, including 2 bathrooms...her DH told her no lighting the outside until Thanksgiving night...lol
I will get mine put up (hopefully) sometime soon, and leave it up until at least Jan 5. Our firstborn was due Dec 20, 74 and didn't make her appearance until Jan 5. Her gifts remained under the tree until Jan 2, then were on the piano until she came home from the hospital Jan 7. It just seems right to leave it up as long as possible to enjoy the season, and chase away those winter blues...Last year mine stayed up until Feb. One year I did a lighted garland in dining room and it stayed all year...(little rebel in me?)
I can take it or leave it before Thanksgiving, but can't figure out why people rush to take the tree down Christmas night...the 12 days of Christmas is my excuse to display longer...and the 31 days of January if I so desire...lol...

It used to bother me but for some reason it stopped. Maybe because time seems to be going by so fast anymore? Maybe because I'm thinking what the rest of the early birds might be thinking and Christmas is one of the few things we have to look forward to these days?

I'm almost done with my shopping for the boys but I haven't decorated yet. I will do that next weekend. I never decorate before Thanksgiving. I do tend to take my decorations down at New Year's. Christmas is all about anticipation with me - once the New Year is here all the decorations just remind me that I have a pending chore (taking them down).

I haven't read the replies yet, but no it doesn't bother me. It used to but as I got older it doesn't. Christmas is a cheery season, and no matter what our problems are just looking at the colors & hearing the music will lift my spirits.

Plus, as we get older we usually decorate a bit more since we can now afford it with the kids gone. lol. So I've got the back of my LR strung out with decorations to start tackling this week.

I have a lot of gifts to buy so I start in September. I have to or I'll never have the time.

We still take the time to celebrate Thanksgiving though, then after dinner it's Christas talk and drawings for Secret Santas! :)

My SIL's house is all decorated for Christmas. Gifts are under the tree. It's weird celebrating Thanksgiving with a Christmas theme lol.

I haven't started my shopping yet. I hope I get in the mood soon.

I think Christmas is way "overdone" in so many ways. There is so much pressure put on people for this*one* day of the year.

I'd like it if we celebrated Thanksgiving in October like our Canadian neighbors. After all, we're on the same continent LOL. Then it wouldn't seem like such a gosh darn rush of the season to me.

The below sure makes sense as to why Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving earlier, at least to me:

"Thanksgiving in the United States was observed on various different dates throughout history. By the mid 20th century, the final Thursday in November had become the customary day of Thanksgiving in most U.S. states. It was not until December 26, 1941 however that President Franklin D. Roosevelt, after pushing two years earlier to move the date earlier to give the country an economic boost, signed a bill into law, with congress, making Thanksgiving a national holiday and settling it to the fourth (but not final) Thursday in November.[8]

Thanksgiving in Canada did not have a fixed date until the late 19th century, at which time it was typically held on November 6. After the end of World War I, Thanksgiving Day and Remembrance Day ceremonies were usually held during the same week. To avoid the two holidays from clashing with one another, in 1957 the Canadian Parliament proclaimed Thanksgiving to be observed on its present date."

It bothers me too. It is the retailers that rush the holiday...but, I must say everyone is going along with it...it seems...not me and DH. When I was a young girl we didn't put our tree up until Christmas Eve....now people in my neighborhood have started to decorate their homes outdoors already. They have someone put up their decorations. These same neighbors have someone mow their laws and rake their leaves. We live in a middle class neighborhood...and I enjoy decorating my home for the holidays and mowing and raking my own leaves. I really think people are getting so lazy.