And now, during the week before Thanksgiving -- a fairly early Thanksgiving to boot -- you might think it was Dec. 15 or so. An FM radio station in Cincinnati plus two satellite radio stations are already playing hoilday music. Ugh. Christmas trees are for sale at Lowe's and Target and at local tree farms. The city of Norwood was already hanging decorations across Montgomery Road. And last night on a drive back from dinner I counted no less than five homes already festooned with Christmas lights.
And it's not even Black Friday yet.
Speaking of Black Friday...apparently shopping for alleged bargains at 2 a.m. Friday morning isn't good enough anymore. Wal-Mart, Target and many other retailers are starting their sales on Thanksgiving evening. I don't understand how the turkey-stuffed masses could be ready to shop that quickly after dinner, but I feel sorry for the employees who will be required to cut their own family holidays short just to help obnoxious crowds elbow each other to be first to the electronics aisle.
I know that a lot of people think Black Friday shopping is "fun." And at one level I say, have at it. I'm sleeping in. But the truth is that the early-birds aren't simply making a choice about how they want to spend their time. They are directly ruining a holiday for many other people. I cannot be thankful for that.
So bah humbug to the holiday skippers. You are disrespecting the holidays you profess to enjoy. You are disrupting the traditional flow of the seasons. No. I do not think Jack o' Lanterns should be sharing shelf space with Santa Claus. No. I do not want to hear Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer before Thanksgiving dinner leftovers even exist.
Please celebrate our holidays one at a time. Thank you.