October 31st: Teens and children alike take to the streets decked out in cat ears, witch hats, face paint, and the year's pop culture costumes.
November 1st (the day after Halloween): Teens, children, and even adults alike take to the streets looking for great deals on Christmas gifts wearing their ugly Christmas sweaters while listening to "Deck the Halls" on their favorite radio station.
So I ask: Thanksgiving, where did you go? We miss you! We always used to enjoy getting to November 1st, and getting a nice little break between the horrors of Halloween and the joyfulness of Christmas.
Thanksgiving, you have been swallowed up by corporate America. They're making us think that hitting November 1st means that we're automatically entering "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year", but we aren't. November 1st doesn't mean Christmas is here. It means November is here.
I was in a store last weekend, on October 30th to be exact (the day before Halloween), and the song What Are You Doing New Year's Eve by Ella Fitzgerald was playing. In the midst of my shopping, I thought to myself that this must be a sick joke. I was listening to Fitzgerald sing me this question, asking me what I'm doing New Year's Eve, while I didn't even know my plans for Halloween at that point! (Or what I was having for lunch, for that matter...)
When you think about it, Thanksgiving decorations have now become obsolete and a thing of the past. Stores don't sell them because they don't want you to buy them. They want you to walk in and see 12 tables dedicated to Christmas decor, so you start to plan your Christmas shopping. After all, we don't buy each other gifts for Thanksgiving. What is worse is that consumers buy into this tactic and make themselves believe that it is actually the Christmas season once we hit November.
I'm also already beginning to see Christmas lights up on peoples' houses. Really, people? Imagine all of the money you are spending on your electric bill, when it's not even that time of year! Save that money to make the best Thanksgiving dinner imaginable because that holiday still exists too!
You may read this and think, "Wow! What a Scrooge!" But I am actually the furthest thing from that. I have my very own ugly sweater collection, I love Christmas shopping, and I will probably watch "Elf" about 20 times before the year ends. But as of right now, all of that is the furthest thing from my mind. It is not yet the Christmas season, so let's stop buying what corporate America is feeding us. Enjoy your November, and what the rest of the Autumn season has in store!
