Poor Thanksgiving
.
I have a burning question so I thought I'd ask my vast readership :-) if anyone knows the answer. Or answers because there are several follow-up questions. I'm dead serious, by the way.
Why do people put up Christmas trees before Thanksgiving?
What day do they put them up - before or after Halloween? Is there an official religious day to which I'm not being sensitive?
Don't they feel Thanksgiving is getting the short-shift? (Or no shift - do they not celebrate Thanksgiving?)
Do these people ever complain about stores merchandising the heck out of Christmas by displaying their wares before Halloween?
When do these people take their tree down?
As I drove home from my massage appointment (heaven!) last night, I noticed two houses with lit trees in the window. It just seems wrong to me. I've always felt sorry for Thanksgiving and it's getting worse. Turns out I'm a real cranky-pants about this. So I was hoping someone could explain it to me - give me a different way to think about it.
In the interest of full disclosure, we don't put a tree up at all anymore - not for the last 2 years, I believe it's been. No one was interested in helping me. I went through the motions for a few years previous to that, in neutral, not even getting any joy out of it myself. Finally sanity overcame guilt and I stopped. I put out a few snowmen but that's about it.
Simon asked me recently if we could put up some decorations this year. I fully suspect this request was girlfriend-related. "So we at least look normal?" he said.
This is our normal. Feel free.
Wow. Sure got Scroogey, didn't I? I attribute this to rebellion against the commercialism of the holiday (although I do my best to ignore that) and the fact that I'm not religious in the least.
Enough about me. Can anyone answer my questions? I suspect the answer is, "Because they want to. It makes them happy." I'm just wondering if there's more to it, in some way.
I have a burning question so I thought I'd ask my vast readership :-) if anyone knows the answer. Or answers because there are several follow-up questions. I'm dead serious, by the way.Why do people put up Christmas trees before Thanksgiving?
What day do they put them up - before or after Halloween? Is there an official religious day to which I'm not being sensitive?
Don't they feel Thanksgiving is getting the short-shift? (Or no shift - do they not celebrate Thanksgiving?)
Do these people ever complain about stores merchandising the heck out of Christmas by displaying their wares before Halloween?
When do these people take their tree down?
As I drove home from my massage appointment (heaven!) last night, I noticed two houses with lit trees in the window. It just seems wrong to me. I've always felt sorry for Thanksgiving and it's getting worse. Turns out I'm a real cranky-pants about this. So I was hoping someone could explain it to me - give me a different way to think about it.
In the interest of full disclosure, we don't put a tree up at all anymore - not for the last 2 years, I believe it's been. No one was interested in helping me. I went through the motions for a few years previous to that, in neutral, not even getting any joy out of it myself. Finally sanity overcame guilt and I stopped. I put out a few snowmen but that's about it.
Simon asked me recently if we could put up some decorations this year. I fully suspect this request was girlfriend-related. "So we at least look normal?" he said.
This is our normal. Feel free.
Wow. Sure got Scroogey, didn't I? I attribute this to rebellion against the commercialism of the holiday (although I do my best to ignore that) and the fact that I'm not religious in the least.
Enough about me. Can anyone answer my questions? I suspect the answer is, "Because they want to. It makes them happy." I'm just wondering if there's more to it, in some way.
~ ~ ~
I have uploaded the show photos from my camera to my laptop but I'm going into work early this morning, something I haven't done in ages. I'll post them here soon with a little review of the show.
.November 29, 10:00-4:00
St. Jude's Holiday Craft Sale
4100 Lyell Road, Rochester, NY 14606
Labels: Life Update
posted by Stefani at 4:55 AM
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11 Comments:
I'm not a fan of Christmas decorations going up before Thanksgiving.
I've always hated the fact that Thanksgiving gets lost in between Halloween and Christmas! It's my favorite holiday and I decorate for it! http://www.flickr.com/photos/octobergirl/3009703585/
We usually put our tree and decorations up the weekend after Thanksgiving. I have tons of snowmen and I have to take all the books off my bookshelf to decorate and so I like to have as much time as possible to enjoy them. I REFUSE to decorate before Thanksgiving!!
We usually take our decorations down New Year's Day, but we've done that earlier also. I hate taking down the decorations. It's always kind of sad.
I used to work with someone who never takes down their tree; it sits in the corner of the family room with a sheet over it when not "in use"! As for trees going up this early - I suppose people just love the warm fuzzies Christmas brings? I'm rapidly moving into your camp of not wanting to bother with one - it's not like anyone else in the family pays it any attention after the first day... but in the interest of appearing normal...I may just have to.
Ann
According to the latest government studies, 58.7% of trees seen before Thanksgiving are trees that were not taken down after last Christmas. Look it up. Mystery solved, question answered. Thank you.
Here is another question to add: why are they playing Christmas songs on the radio already? Oh maybe because there aren't any Thanksgiving songs?
I opted for a fiber optic tree years ago, it is so easy, just plug it in!
http://www.christmas-tree.com/where.html
I have started decorating the bay window because it is going to take me time to decorate for Christmas. I've never started this early.
I don't care for the fact that stores start so early, but they can't make money on Thanksgiving. And we all know how important jobs are so just plug your portable music into your ear while there. I'd rather hear the music than a screaming kid any day.
One of our meals ladies had her tree up for three years because she had no one to help her take it down. So I did. It was kinda of cheery deliering to her with all the lights, though they got terribly dusty.
I had no idea people put trees up this early... mainly because I do not leave my house! Ha! But we did not do one last year as I was ill and it made the holiday seem "missing". I could sit and look at a Christmas tree all day. It's one of my favorite things. We are having a tree this year if it kills me to go get it myself!! But not until AFTER Thanksgiving!
Some people decorate SO heavily, multiple trees, that it takes days, if not weeks, to get it all up. I have a coworker who puts up THREE trees, all together in a cluster, fairies hanging from the ceilings, full villages, Disney stuff, trains. And no lights outside, go figure. He is not decorating this year, because he is remodeling. He is at Hong Kong and Tokyo Disneylands for Thanksgiving this year. He has a year-round tree by his cubicle. I finally decorated it with Halloween, St. Patrick's Day, Valentine's, office supplies, you name it, so it is "seasonal." People keep knocking it over. We keep threatening to hang it from the ceiling. I don't decorate until after Thanksgiving, and the tree comes down either December 26 or New Year's Eve/Day, depending on just how sick I am of the whole thing. This year we don't get the kidlet until December 27, but we have him for New Year's, so I think the tree will stay up until New Year's Eve, at least.
I like Thanksgiving better than Christmas mainly because you don't have to worry if everyone likes their gift etc. I too only have a small fiber optic tree and that's it. My daughter put up her tree early this year as she is having Thanksgiving and thought it would make the house look better.
Your favorite minister named John
Our Puritan ancestors who gave us Thanksgiving were quite religious and that is why they wouldn't put up Christmas trees.
Thank the Germans for trees . . .they even put them on the roofs of all new construction projects.
Even though I don't put up my tree until after Thanksgiving, I'm always faxcinated by the people who put it up earlier. I see the white lights in their windows and think to myself, "Look how pretty that looks. They must be so organized, I've got to get my act together and start moving." I end up berating myself and wishing I hadn't driven down that street!
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