The other day we discussed the topic of when the holiday season starts. I believe someone I live with may have been telling a particularly holly and jolly TV commercial to go and have an impossible experience with itself to which I replied, once we’ve had the parade, the season is on.
Nay, replied my mate. It doesn’t start until December first. Heck, if you’re in retail, it starts before Halloween! I posed the question on air at 1039FM and one caller said there’s no such thing as a Christmas season. “There are only four seasons. Christmas is a birthday.” Yeah, but it’s not an ordinary birthday. And besides, we say there is a hockey season and a baseball season so why not a season dedicated to the most dangerous and potentially expensive sport of all: shopping!
I will not put up a wreath or jingle a bell until the first of December because it’s his house too. But I started shopping some time ago even though we’ve pledged to only fill stockings this year. Why put off the fun? It’s not fun for everyone, of course. I’m guessing that a little bit of Scrooge McDuck-ism is what’s prompting the wish to delay the “season” as long as possible. If only the procrastinators could see that by starting and finishing early they’d have a much more enjoyable time of it. It’s not just sugar plums dancing over their heads, it’s a lack of ideas for gift-giving.
And as I drove in to the radio station at 4:30 this morning I noticed a sign on a popular garden centre. “Christmas trees are here!” It’s November 24th and I agree that it’s much to early to put up a tree!
So what do you say? Put it off as long as you can or, to quote The Black Eyed Peas, let’s get it started?
You and I have the added bonus of getting our spouses birthday presents right around the same time. So, you can still do stockings, but get your shopping fix for the b-day presents too!
As for the start of the “season”, we’re going to put some things up this weekend; we figure it’s a month before, so it’s not too crazy.
Tis the season, well that all depends on what the activity is.
If it involves stringing Xmas lights around the exterior of your home, that’s best done while the weather is reasonable verses the minus 10 without the wind when I seem to normally do it.
If it involves the purchasing of a real Xmas tree, any time within the next few weeks is good to ensure that there is a good selection and you find the tree you seek. Putting it up however, that should only occur a couple of weeks from now.
Shopping, I’d say, the sooner you get started the sooner you get finished and the more likely you’ll find what you seek.
I think that anything before Dec. 1st is wrong. When I hear christmas songs on the radio before that, I change to a station that is not playing them. As for trees, the only reason we put one up is that our family come every year to our house for Christmas as we are centrally located, we are in Innisfil and people are coming from Meaford, Port Perry and Toronto.