uh, Christmas lights already?

[billwmeyer]

I used to work for a store that had a Christmas in July sale every year! The sad part of it was that the darn stuff sold! I would sell a lot of Artificial Christmas trees that were put in layaway, and usually enough lights and ornaments to decorate it. I always felt so stupid decorating a tree in July. As soon as the sale was over, it went to the stockroom. I would receive most of my Christmas merchandise in August, it it got pretty tight in my stockroom before I started putting it out, usually the day after Halloween.

My only defense for the retail industry is that it takes a lot of time and work, not to mention space to handle the most important sales season of the year. They usually just have to put it out early to get it all out. Playing Chrismas music early though, really crosses the line. I started that on Thanksgiving day when I had to be open. It drove me nuts to listen to it that long.

Tom, It is a shame people would steal Christmas decorations from you. They just don't get the meaning of the season do they. I have never had anything stolen, but I did have some light strings cut one year.

Bill

[cwsmith]

Christmas is the best time of the year! But it numbs the mind to see how overdone everything is lately. Today I noticed some houses still have the stupid pumpkins sitting on the steps and far too many yards are already cluttered with inflatable Christmas decorations.

I'm a traditionalist I guess. Does anybody remember when stores actually debuted the Christmas season on so-called "black Friday". Or when it was totally wierd to put up your tree and decorations any earlier than 7-days before Christmas and you were a bit lazy if they were still up on New Year's Eve?

How about Holloween... when it was only one night out of the whole year and nobody did decorations any earlier than that afternoon! Now it seems like Holloween is a bigger decoration holiday than Christmas!

Seems like we've lost sight of what's important. I'm not particularly religious, but the whole decoration thing seems a matter of self indulgent excess. Inflatables seem almost obscene; but perhaps the self-indulgent example in my neighborhood are the two blokes around the corner who do nothing more than put a few thousand watts of spot lights to light up the front of thier houses...no wreath, candles, tree, or other decorations, "look at my great house" lights. (Well, actually one guy does use red and green spot lights instead of just white light!)

No thanks, I'll keep Holloween to only one evening a year and Christmas, a two-week celebration with a wreath and a nicely decorated tree and holiday table. For me, anything beyond that, and the "spirit of the season" looses its luster.

CWS

[Pappy]

I put mine up the weekend after Thanksgiving and leave them up until after the first of the year. Couple of years back, I decided not to put the outside decorations out. Had neighbors wanting to know why I was late. Their kids and grandkids like them.

[Stytooner]

Call me in the baa humbug crowd.
I don't do any. LOML puts up a tree and does our front door and windows.
Very minimal.
Just the way I like it.
On a clear night, I see stars in the sky as decorations put up by someone who is far better at it than me. This has an added benefit of possibly thinking its Christmas year round just in case I see that tool I can't do without.

[jhart]

Use to be that retailers looked at December as the month they made profit for the year. Today, you keep hearing that shoppers are waiting for the last minute bargains (sort of a chess match as to who gives in first).

I'm not sure how the retailers can figure out how well their christmas season has gone when they start the selling season in October these days.

I'm with some of the others, in that I would rather wait until after Thanksgiving to start thinking about Christmas.

Same could be said about the political scene: candidates start too early and run too long and most of us really get turned off by the time of the voting. Already talking about the 2008 elections!!!

Just my $.02

[Rob R]

Use to be that retailers looked at December as the month they made profit for the year. Today, you keep hearing that shoppers are waiting for the last minute bargains (sort of a chess match as to who gives in first).

chess match or chicken!!

we don't do anything until after thanksgiving. most of my christmas shoppping is done already. only have a couple of things to pick up.

rob

[KenBurris]

not here

No outdoor lights,my daughter (25) will put up a tree and maybe some window lights.I used to put my mini bubble lights on the tree, but down to one string now, and haven't seen any in the stores for quite a few yearsWill pllug in large bubble nightlight, though.