Thanksgiving Comes First! (Or Halloween-as the closest holiday should)

(Jim said I could swipe one of his original prints, and this one caught my eye the most. If you're familiar with this cause, you'll know just by the title what this post will be about. If not, well, you'll just have to keep reading.)

Yup. It's that time of year again. You've seen it in the stores. You've seen it on displays. You've might have even seen the gaudy paper cut-outs with the big fat man with the white beard and the red suit.

Yes, my dear friend has started his cause once more and is asking people to join the bandwagon. I might not be able to play any instruments, but I'll gladly help out by steering the mule or holding the megaphone. His cause involves respecting every holiday season, but especially Thanksgiving, during the time it should be celebrated. We've all might have seen it, at one time... but I'm betting constantly... when you've might have walked into a store (for me--it was a Walmart) where I saw Christmas decorations set up with the Halloween treats.

Hello? News flash! There is a holiday in-between. A holiday representing the togetherness of family enjoyment, of sharing good food and good company. Thanksgiving.

We live in a corporate world. Our society is based on supply and demand. Merchants have to make sales. So when a holiday comes around where their profit margins will rise, they will go full keel with advertising, despite other holidays being before that. Christmas is a big season for business. Thanksgiving is not.

Well, my friend Jim would like it for everybody to remember there is a worthy holiday to celebrate in-between the holiday of Halloween and Christmas. One that shouldn't be bombarded upon people earlier than expected in the corporate world. He has a more elegant way in explaining it, so I'll show a bit of his blog post here:

When I was a kid, Christmas was magical. The lights were colorful and amazing, making the night a warm, bright, wonderful place to be, even if it was 20 degrees outside and the snow was up to your waist. If you're old enough, you'll recall that Christmas carols gave you the same sorts of butterflies in your stomach that would be associated with love at a later time in your life. Cities and towns put up decorations on the main streets, with the larger municipalities erecting lovely Christmas trees in central spots.

All of the above worked, on a spectacular level, because it happened at an appropriate time. No retailer (or city, or homeowner) dared breach the unofficial line of demarcation – Thanksgiving. It was an unwritten rule that one holiday would play out completely before speaking of another was allowed.

Now? Nobody cares. Whatever you can peddle, whenever you can peddle it, is the mantra. It matters not a whit how many people’s memories are trampled, nor how irreligious the displays and advertisements. The only thing that counts is that ledgers get into the black. Restraint and taste are passé. The more outrageous the spectacle, the better for the bottom line.

Make no mistake about it: I’m a capitalist. I’m all for everybody making as much money as they can, as fast as they can, in whatever way they can, so long as nobody is physically hurt in the process. I’m not looking to enact laws against early Christmas advertising. What I am in favor of is standing up and being counted. That's fair. Opinion can drive a market in the right direction without resorting to the force of government intervention. If you decry this incursion upon our holiday ground as much as I do, I hope you'll join me in raising a slight ruckus. My hope is that we make enough noise to affect the situation. If we can’t, then I suppose we deserve this despicable state of affairs.

I’m going to give it a try. I hope you'll help.

If you believe, as I do, that Thanksgiving should play out fully before Christmas season begins; that Christmas carols should not be heard on the radio before at least Thanksgiving evening; that advertisers who dare to encroach upon Thanksgiving - or, God help us, Halloween - should be told in no uncertain terms that you despise their hideous advertisements and that you will not shop at their establishments unless they cease and desist; that malls who put Santa Claus on display before Veterans Day should be ashamed of themselves; then please consider doing something about it.

Should you be as incensed as I am concerning Christmas schlock, please post a "Thanksgiving Comes First" entry on your blog. Write from the heart. Everybody who visits your blog will find out how you feel. My guess is they'll agree with you. Perhaps they'll also write about it, and so will their friends, and so forth. I hope that, if enough of us do this, we might make some small impact...

You can read more of his post. If you want to join his cause, then make a post yourself or place an icon on your sidebar in support.