Walking into town on Saturday to pick up a bit of food shopping I wandered into Marks & Spencer's Food Hall to find that they had rearranged everything. So that they could display all their Christmas food stock. On the 15th October. Then, walking past the Argos Superstore I saw that there was a large Snowman Christmas decoration in the window for sale. Tescos are beginning to display their Christmas stock already as, I noticed yesterday, is Woolworths and WH Smith. There are also a lot of really interesting looking recipe books just published over the last few weeks. Why? Just in time for Chrismas.
Please, everybody. Not yet! It's still only mid-October.
Every year it is the same. It is possible to start Christmas shopping virtually from when the schools start their Autumn term and the result is that by the time Chrismas arrives everyone is heartily sick of the whole idea of Christmas. When I was a girl (ye gods, I've started to say that!) the run-up for Christmas used to start after Guy Fawkes night and that was too early but over the last few years it has started much earlier. I know the retail pundits are complaining that the retail trade has subsided recently and shops are just not not selling as much as they used to but that is no excuse to try to start Chrismas shopping earlier. In fact when It gets near Christmas I just don't go shopping in town at all. I buy virtually all my Chrismas presents, and most of the food we shall want, over the internet. Why get stressed searching the High Streets through all the crowds to look for what you want when you can buy the same thing for (probably) much less money and have it delivered to your door without any stress.
There is another thing about Christmas that always disturbs me and that is the way the season is depicted as a time when everyone HAS to have a really happy time surrounded by your family. The architype of both parents and a couple of children having a wonderful time with smily faces and enjoying being together is promoted and puffed up not only by the retail trade but also by the media as being the only way to be at Christmas. But life is just not like that. For a start there has been a significant change in the family demographic with over 50% of all marriages ending in divorce nowadays so that the architypal family is becoming more and more rare. Those torn asunder by divorce are made to feel especially isolated over the "festive season", separated from their loved ones. Then there is the fact that a very significant proportion of the population live alone and are just not part of a family. So they too feel isolated from the way people are "supposed" to be at Christmas. People face a season when they are made to feel that they have to be happy and surrounded by loved ones. No wonder the arrival of Christmas is dreaded by so many. Most are just made to feel alone and out of things. A season of joy? I don't think so.
10 comments:
During the (11) years when Hunky Husband and I were divorced, I did not participate in the year-end holidays. Not in the least. Not even to the extent of sending out holiday greeting cards. What a relief that provided!
If someone wishes to have a bang-up holiday, far be it from me to discourage them; but, I quite got my fill of it when the kids were young. All of the holiday expectations placed unbearable pressures on us mothers. I have always loved being with our family; but, holidays are like television--better when partaken of sparingly.
Cop Car
I agree totally. I too love family get-togethers but aren't they better when overshadowed with totally unrealistic expectations of how "happy" we shoud be. Let's face it women get off Christmas the worse because of the all the cooking, cleaning, etc, etc they are faced with.
Bah humbug?
I'll "see" your "Bah humbug?" and raise you one! HH is much better around the house, now, than he was during our first 19 years of marriage; but, any get-togethers are strickly my (unwelcomed) responsibility.
Since I am not socially talented, we don't do much get-togethering. The big exceptions are when Bogie and her Wonderful Spouse come to town. We definitely want the whole gang together, then. However, decorating and gift-giving are beyond my endurance.
Cop Car
In this house it is the Husband who is so keen on making Christmas "Perfect". He seems to think that it is really important and will really put himself out for the celebtrations. I am much more laid back on the subject - probably from years of deciding just what an anti-climax it can be.
We are so in tune about the shops pushing the Christmas season. Here in the U.S., we celebrate Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday of November. During November my focus has been on cleaning the house and readying it for a gathering of my family. I don't want to have to think about Christmas at all.
I'm sure the stores have extended their Christmas season in order to capture more of the discretionary income, as times have tightened, but that won't make me shop early. In fact, I'd be happy seeing us go back to a time when we each received ONE gift, and that gift was made, not purchased.
Oranges and chocolate and nuts in your stocking, anyone??
Buffy
Ah, yes, Buffy--only I don't recall ever receiving any chocolate in a stocking. Lots of nuts and a lovely orange (a real treat since we did not usually have oranges). In our house, the tree usually went up during the 2nd week of December.
Except for the "home made" things, no shopping was done prior to the tree's going up. One year, we did our shopping (at the store where Mother clerked) just before the store closed on Christmas Eve. That is the Christmas that I best remember.
Cop Car
Buffy,
So, if Thanksgiving is getting toward the en of November does that mean that you don't do any Christmas organising/present buying until after then? My goodness, over here the person who hopes to be organised will have bought all their Christmas presents and a lot of the non-perishable food by then!
What gets me is that every so often pundits will say that High Street retailers are having a really bad time. Then, on another occasion, they will say that buying through the Internet has increased substantially. Don't they ever get the connection?
In our family it isn't a thought of one present or more each - we have a budget (not huge amounts) on how much we will spend on each person and stick to that quite closely. Everyone knows about the budget so no-one's feathers get ruffled.
CopCar,
Ah, I can remember Christmas stockings. Always with some chocolate and an orange or satsuma at the toe. And usually a paperback, so that I could keep quiet between the time I wake up at an unearthly early time on Christmas morning and the time the rest of the family wakes up.
I have to admit though that I cannot remember a year when christmas shopping was left to the last moment. I come from a family where present shopping was always done early. The Husband used to buy things at the last moment but as he usually decides what he wants to buy before heading for the shops he soon learned that leaving shopping until the last minute can be very frustrating and exhausting when the shelves are empty. So now he has learn to think of things early (or perhaps it was my influence, LOL).
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