The Christmas Creep (and why it must end!)

I've only seen eggnog in cartons, but the only time I've ever seen milk in cartons was on my numerous visits to Mexico.

edited 21st Oct '11 10:17:59 PM by MrDolomite

As much as I dislike listening to the same 15 Christmas songs over and over again, it'll be a nice change of pace from the same 15 Country songs over and over again. But I plan on job-changing before Thanksgiving. I am NOT doing that again. My last job had me come in at 5 in the morning on Black Friday, and it was working in a hardware store. No one goes to hardware stores on Black Friday.

Eggnog is already selling, god knows why. Stuff smells weird.

edited 21st Oct '11 11:33:37 PM by Sakan4k

@Sakan4k

Well, the problem is less a supposition that only Christmas music is annoying when played repeatedly, and more that at least when other types of music are played repeatedly, you can leave work and not have every other place in existence also playing the same music repeatedly.

Is it really getting worse though? In the 1940s Raymond Chandler wrote a description of how bad it was that makes me feel that the only difference is how much more technology we have available these days.

@Jeysie: Oh, I sympathize with you, and even if you're not working retail hearing it all over can be annoying. I like classic rock so I tend to listen to an oldies radio station, and they always play holiday music between thanksgiving and new years', so I have to find other stations then.

But then, I was brought up Jewish so Christmas music doesn't have any fond memories for me...

Although the commercialization of Christmas can be a bit annoying, even stranger from my point of view is that a lot of people seem to first bash it, then go along with it anyway.

For example: Once, when I was thirteen or something, my mum started saying in November that it was not right that Christmas was so focused on gift-giving, and that this year no one in the family was to make gifts to anybody else for Christmas — if someone found something nice, they could give it for some other occasion instead.

I was OK with it, really — yeah, I was looking forward to getting some console game for Christmas, but whatever.

Then, come Christmas... she had bought the game, and other gifts for me and my siblings and the rest of my extended family, and they had bought gifts for everyone else, me included, and I had nothing to give to anyone. And then I was scolded, by her (who had forgotten that she even said anything), for being "greedy" and not giving Christmas presents.

It actually took me some weeks to get over it. So, please: if you announce that you don't want to make or receive Christmas presents, fine — but then don't go back on your word, or people will be seriously confused.

edited 22nd Oct '11 12:40:14 PM by Carciofus

How about we put the Saturn back in Saturnalia? That'd be a nice change from over-commercialized Christmas.

I've never really had the issue of Christmas being over-commercialized in my family, oddly. My parents would have my brother and I write down all the things we're thankful for (not material things, stuff like skills, talents, etc.) each year. Also, Kwanzaa always overshadowed Christmas slightly for me, what with all the principles to remember and the fact that it lasted a week.

Winter Solstice is a cluster f' of different celebrations.

Also we'd need more statues of Saturn/Cronus...considering his...colorful time as ruler, we may want to choose the moments he's depicted from carefully◊.

We could always try celebrating them all at once a la that thing I wrote Last Christmas:

Twas two days after Saturnalia, and all through the land
No entity was string, not even a lamb
A virgin gave birth, while angels held breath back
Scared the eater of babies, would have Jesus for a snack

Cronus stirred from his stupor, belched gas of earth and sealed fate
Shook his head from side to side, and said “No thank you, ‘just ate.”
The people rejoiced, they had nothing to fear
Save children who had been visited by Krampus that year

Marduk won over the darkness, light emerged, Mithras the and Dievs are born
The Mapuche breathed sighs of relief, Odin drank from his three horns
The Cow Head, the Hobby Horse, the Wild Indian, and the Devil hit the street
Trolls where chased off, druids turned wrens into dead meat

Hertha removed her tasty shoes, Baccus remained drunk, Dionysus was eaten
A demigod collected prayers for Dezao, Maccabees insured the Seleucid where beated
Kites where flown high, Amateratsu emerged from her cave
Newgrange was lit, Masters switched places with their slaves

Amateratsu, Hertha, Beiwe, Surya, Ahura Mazda, Koleda, Elah-Gabal, Sol, Mithras , Marduk, Inti all brought light as Beiwe brought sanity
The Incas constructed a hitching post to tie the sun in a ceremony
The Wheel of the Year turned, Yang flooded the world, Vahman stabled his bull.
The Black God fleed from Koleda, New people arrived courtesy of Amma’s rule.

Animals and humans where sacrificed, Rozhnitsa feasted on bread, honey, and cheese
Dreams told the future, Soot was smeared on faces, Sanghamitt planted the Bodhi tree
Ahura Mazda claimed his day, Nguzo Saba encourages black unity
St Francis added animals for fun, Lussi quarrels with St Lucy

St Nicholas, Kriss kringle, and Odin get together to do the fusion dance
St. Nichoringdin is too hard to say, so now he’s Santa Claus by circumstance
Mashing up all these celebrations is sure damn confusing
But I hope you’ve enjoyed this silly author’s musings

Fitting everything from this other wiki page and my brain sure was a fight.

edited 22nd Oct '11 3:05:53 PM by Justice4243