WHERE'S SANTA?
WHY, HE'S OUT TO LUNCH!!
I'm afraid we're losing a battle! Yesterday on Thursday, November 15, exactly one week, before Thanksgiving, I had lunch in Rosedale, a large St. Paul Mall. I walked around looking for photo opportunities and no-where could I find any Thanksgiving decorations. You guessed it! Every store I entered or passed had their Christmas decoration and merchandising already displayed. The mall corridors and halls were filled with the same kind of decorations. We ARE losing the merchandising battle, but we can individually in our own personal lives replace materialism with a little spirituality.
WHY, HE'S OUT TO LUNCH!!
I'm afraid we're losing a battle! Yesterday on Thursday, November 15, exactly one week, before Thanksgiving, I had lunch in Rosedale, a large St. Paul Mall. I walked around looking for photo opportunities and no-where could I find any Thanksgiving decorations. You guessed it! Every store I entered or passed had their Christmas decoration and merchandising already displayed. The mall corridors and halls were filled with the same kind of decorations. We ARE losing the merchandising battle, but we can individually in our own personal lives replace materialism with a little spirituality. 
This is a clever picture. When I saw it on the portal I thought the chair was sitting outdoors in snow (you could easily have some by now). Now I see it's indoor fake snow. Looks like Santa, like Elvis (another folk legend) has just left the building.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever heard or read David Sedaris’ Santaland Diaries, when he desperately needed a job and became the worst elf in the history of NYC Macy's Santa department? You can listen to in on this link to NPR. It's a hoot.
Santa? Already??!! It isn't even December. Rampant Commercialism at it's best. This will be a long Christmas season.
ReplyDeleteStrange how a Super store lije Target inundates us with the Christmas blitz long before THanksgiving, but does not allow the Salvation Army kettle bell ringers on their premisis.
Absolutely right. As I said on Fenix's blog, I went to Galleries Lafayette in Nice the other day and was welcomed with an onslaught of Christmas. All too much and so unnecessary. We are encouraged to spend money on stuff no one needs in a trillion years.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's bad, really bad, and next to impossible to put a stop to it because... While most people will say I am sick of it, they will also say I really don't buy much anymore, just for the kids. Well, that's all it takes! As long as you keep patronizing the stores, even to buy a little nothing for the little ones, the "commercialization of holidays" will keep going and growing.
ReplyDeleteIf people truly want this to stop, they have to stop going to the stores until after Thanksgiving. As simple (and as virtually impossible) as that. Sadly.
Hopefully Santa is out for the holidays and will not return until the day after Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Denton!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I second the "hoot" for Sedaris's book. Extremely funny.
I try to stay out of the stores until after Thanksgiving. Its just too much. I don't like the cranky feeling it gives me. I'm not ready. I want my emphasis to be on family and the reason for the season and to be Thankful for what I have.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking I need to clear out a lot of clutter and I wonder if any in my family would like some of it for Christmas this year?
ReplyDeleteAh, sadly, it goes beyond that! Even at my work, they put up the large Christmas tree and outdoor lights over a week ago! Unbelievable!
ReplyDeleteI don't miss him. I think he is in cahoots with the store owners.
ReplyDeletegoing green
Great post. You are right to expose that. In Montpellier also all the decorations have already been installed.
ReplyDeleteI hope Santa was reading a good book - or blog - ( you know, something by Hemingway?)
ReplyDeleteFunny, though, I thought that we all loved the friendliness and good cheer that the holidays bring to our normally surly world.
Hi all, Becoming more aware of the egregious and flagrant pitch for materialism re. Christmas has been a good eye-opener for me.
ReplyDelete--Strangetastes: thanks for the tip; I think Sedaris is quite funny!
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dusty lens- right on! Salvation Army collects to "GIVE" but Target refuses to cooperate; wants only to sell, sell, sell.
--Jilly and Fenix: Yup, we don't need half the stuff we buy. Have you been in the stores the day after Thanksgiving, tho?! It's bedlam, and I have participated only once which cured me forever.
--Annie, sounds like a plan and has given me an idea!
--Nikon: we do love the holidays, but I think that some of us are protesting the commericalization of a holiday which has lost, or is losing, its spiritual meaning.
Good post Kate. Sorry to hear that St. Paul has fallen victim to the anxious merchant plague as well. For myself, I will enjoy Thanksgiving without a thought of Christmas. And I will be happy to think of my CDP friends doing likewise!
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Wayne
this is so funny -- see my photo for today. :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting post.
ReplyDeleteThat's a handsome spot for Santa. You would think they'd arrange his meals so people coming by during lunch can see him :(
ReplyDeleteI know he's in Rovaniemi (Finland) I saw his true office 2 years ago.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos, but I agree with you. Thanksgiving is getting stuffed too soon!
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty much working on Valentine's Day already, business-wise.
ReplyDeleteI like your photos and how you told the story. Good one.
ReplyDeleteI posted a photo of deer today, at least my version. The only one's I could get. And, some snow on my personal blog.
It is way too early for Santa to be anywhere but the North Pole...
ReplyDeleteyou are so right! The commercialising of Christmas, Easter etc is reaching ridiculous proportions! The best Christmas our family had was in Zimbabwe a couple of years ago. We each put all the money we would have spent on each other together and bought basic foods like maize meal,etc.as well as Bibles translated into Shona. We went to a high school and asked the headmaster to hand it all out to some of the poorest families. The look of joy on his face was the best Christmas gift we ever got.
ReplyDeleteYes, Christmas has become such a commercialized holiday.
ReplyDeleteKids now have "Christmas Wish List" of gifts they want for Christmas.
Oh dear! Last night, my wife and I made the trip to Rosedale Mall.
ReplyDeleteYep, Santa was there...so was a highly fashionable couple with...are you ready for this?
A small dog - wearing a red "santa" cap and scarf.
I've got you beat. This year when we were shopping around I saw Christmas decorations being put out with the Halloween ones. As for Santa I always thought the littles ones would want to get some pics with him, but all of mine have been afraid or at the very least indifferent.
ReplyDelete