Christmas in October

"There is no more dangerous or disgusting habit than that of celebrating Christmas before it comes …" "Christmas" All Things Considered.

After church on Sunday, I went into a local supermarket to get some things.

That’s when I spotted the Christmas section.

Christmas? On October 15??

We haven’t even gotten past Halloween yet. What’s next: Easter candy before Thanksgiving?

I'm a big fan of Christmas – I have Santa figures and pictures up year round in my house, I've been known to burst into Christmas songs on hot summer days, and I even "help" Santa at a local mall each year (if you’ve even seen my picture, you’d have a clue how!), but this was too much.

My view was that we should get Halloween out of the way, and have at least a little time to think about Thanksgiving before we have to deal with Christmas.

I mentioned my dismay to some folks, and someone told he later went to the store and saw a sign. I hadn't seen a sign when I was there on Sunday, so I stopped in on the way home form work.

Sure enough, there was a sign propped in front of a fake Christmas tree.



Some folks may "like to do their holiday shopping early," but setting up a section like this before even the middle of October is crass.

I went to the desk to register a complaint. I asked for the manager - not there - or the assistant manager - ditto - so the clerk offered to get the night manager. I said no, but asked the clerk to relay the message that I though it was obscene to have the Christmas stuff out this early.

The clerk agreed with my opinion (!), and said mine was not the first complaint.

I’ll bet.

Whoever in the store’s hierarchy made this decision deserves a lump of coal in his or her stocking this year.

I'll wait until December to see if another local supermarket has any coal for sale.

Chesterton had his own solution in “Christmas” when it came to publications jumping on Christmas too early:

"… it is essential that there should be a quite clear black line between it and the time going before. And all the old wholesome customs in connection with Christmas were to the effect that one should not touch or see or know or speak of something before the actual coming of Christmas Day. Thus, for instance, children were never given their presents until the actual coming of the appointed hour. The presents were kept tied up in brown-paper parcels, out of which an arm of a doll or the leg of a donkey sometimes accidentally stuck. I wish this principle were adopted in respect of modern Christmas ceremonies and publications. Especially it ought to be observed in connection with what are called the Christmas numbers of magazines. The editors of the magazines bring out their Christmas numbers so long before the time that the reader is more likely to be still lamenting for the turkey of last year than to have seriously settled down to a solid anticipation of the turkey which is to come. Christmas numbers of magazines ought to be tied up in brown paper and kept for Christmas Day. On consideration, I should favour the editors being tied up in brown paper. Whether the leg or arm of an editor should ever be allowed to protrude I leave to individual choice."