By Brittany Lauro;
Mosaic Co-Editor-in-Chief–
‘Twas 39 days before Christmas when all through the shops, not a turkey was hung, not a pilgrim in sight. The fake snow was hung in the windows with care, in hopes that shoppers would spend their cash there.
As the holiday of smoked turkey and sweet potato casserole quickly descends upon us (not quickly enough it feels), it seems Christmas has a case of the jealousy monster, budging its way into Thanksgiving’s festivities. It may only be November but businesses all along the coast are decking their halls, walls, and anything else that will hold their imitation snow and blinding lights. Cornucopias have been kicked to the curb by red whosiewhatsits and sparkling thingymajigs. Some businesses have even taken out their annual holiday cups from storage-yeah I’m looking at you, Starbucks. I guess the question among all his holiday hoopla is: how soon is too soon?
It seems long ago Thanksgiving gave up hope of trying to assert itself as a major holiday. It fought the big fight for a while but fell short of conquering. In fact, any day now we might start calling it “Black Friday Eve” and even that would be generous, considering Black Friday festivities begin on Thanksgiving night.
In fact, it seems Thanksgiving is the only holiday without decorations to adorn your home in. I wouldn’t even know where to look for a paper Turkey to scotch tape to my front door even if I wanted to. Perhaps you could spray paint that pink lawn flamingo and try to pass it off as Thanksgiving decor but even that’s a stretch.
Halloween at least held its ground, filling the aisles of local stores with angry-faced pumpkins and overpriced costumes of Justin Bieber (wig not included). But even so, for weeks now stores have been sneaking in their random items of fa la la among ghosts, goblins and edible eyeballs. It’s like a Where’s Waldo challenge that I don’t remember consenting to.
This year, more than ever, it seems we are skipping over Thanksgiving and going straight to Christmas.
Exhibit A: Do you hear what I hear? A song, a song, yeah Christmas songs playing in every corporate business seven weeks early. Don’t think I wasn’t going to hear jingle bells jingling all the way while scanning the aisles for shampoo, CVS.
Exhibit B: Santa Clause is already in town and his sleigh is parked in all local shopping malls right next to his cardboard workshop.
Hold those reindeer Santa. I will roast my chestnuts on an open fire when I find it’s an appropriate temperature to do so. Yes we need a little Christmas, but not this very minute.
