Christmas in November?

This FAL made it through Thanksgiving, not as angry, but definitely weighing a few more pounds.  

And with Thanksgiving gone, Christmas has arrived at the library this week.  The decorations started going up yesterday…we are awash in garlands and strings of lights.  Student assistants have been conned into making tissue snowflakes and construction paper chains. (The con is that they think it’s fun).  We even have our own version of the book tree pictured left.

I am going to a library Christmas party on Friday and handing out goodie bags to the Student Assistants this week.  The cookie exchange is next week, as is the staff gift giving annual Christmas card signing.

I am no Grinch.  I like Christmas.  I like getting presents, eating good food, and even my family is tolerable in small doses.  I will admit to not liking shopping (crowds and Christmas muzak…shudder), but overall, the Christmas experience is a pleasant one.  I do, however, have an issue with celebrating Christmas in Nov-freaking-ember.

I hate Holiday Creep.  I hate how the stores were selling Halloween candy in August. It was bad for my hips.  And the second Halloween was over it was out with the Christmas candy.  Holiday Creep is pretty much an evil conspiracy run by big business and small children. The goal is to guilt the rest of the population into spending money to show affection the whole year round.  When there is no actual holiday, marketing companies capitalize on small cute days and try to force them into spending holidays.  Think about it.  Why do you give diamond engagement rings?  Thanks a lot DeBeers.  Mother’s Day? Why must I show my love with a card, and flowers, and a gift?  Father’s Day?  Valentine’s Day?

I suppose that I should write about the “true meaning of Christmas” or that “the real gift of any holiday is spending time with your loved ones”, blah blah.  But that is not what this article is about.  This article is about the Santa garland someone put above my office door and wrapped around all of my windows.  This article is about the reindeer antler headbands that the staff will all be expected to wear. 

You can’t force people to love a holiday by making them look stupid.