Christmas: Are they shoving it down our throats too early?

CensoredAlso

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Oh yeah I was trying for sarcasm, sorry if that didn't come across. :embarrassed:
 

D'Snowth

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Nah, I think Sarge is stuck on cruise control right now; t'ain't easy being half bat/half ghost/half demon/half gender bender/half... I lost track...
 

Sgt Floyd

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And I think being a mutt has made my genetics unstable and has been affecting my genetics unstable and affecting my brain.

Then again I'm not really sure I have a brain to begin with XD
 

Drtooth

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Sarcastic or not, you have to admit, the settlers did some pretty crappy things to the various tribes, then they wind up romanticizing history and making fun of them on television for years.

And Thanksgiving was built on the various romanticized myths we learn in 3rd grade that no one ever wants to go back and revisit for accuracy. I mean, Rosanne had an episode about dispelling that myth. I think it's the only thing that does... even that flop movie about Turkeys actually thinks they ate turkey. They ate deer... and the movie stole the plot of an Underdog episode. And that was written in the 60's, when we didn't know better. Of course, now to my understanding (and TV Trope's YMMV page), they actually tried to be sympathetic with the Native Americans in Free Birds... but came off sounding shallow. Of course, added thought about the movie... they were foolish to make a movie about a distinctly American Holiday. Goodbye potential overseas market that usually rescues a flop.

Still, it is a holiday. You still can find plates, tabletops, and centerpieces. And I would rather look forward to that holiday first than the one over a month away.
 

CensoredAlso

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Sarcastic or not, you have to admit, the settlers did some pretty crappy things to the various tribes, then they wind up romanticizing history and making fun of them on television for years.
I never said otherwise. My ancestors came through Ellis Island, not the Mayflower. Not Guilty. :smile:

What I'm saying is, how is completely removing the Native Americans from the holiday an improvement? For better or worse Thanksgiving was one of the few times we got to hear about Native American culture. Now all I see in the Hallmark stores are the white Pilgrims, representing the group that oppressed the Indians in the first place. How is that an improvement? As an ethnic person that is very disturbing to me. We removed the Native Americans from Thanksgiving, and now all we have left are some Puritan killjoys who thought it was sinful to celebrate Christmas? Yay?

No, there are times when political correctness makes things even more offensive than before. We remove the offensive stereotypes sure, but so often we replace them with nothing and the group goes forgotten. That is not progress. More like paralysis.
 

Drtooth

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You know what I noticed that really gets to me? Bumping Christmas like this before Thanksgiving does kinda ruin the enjoyment of Christmas for one thing.

What makes the fall to early winter march of holidays is just that. The nice progression of one exciting holiday to look forward to to the next. You have Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas ending with New Year's. 3 solid months of something to look forward to before that boring as crap, waste of time month of January. I'll admit, since I've grown up, things are a little off... I can't trick or treat anymore (by a LONG shot), so Halloween isn't quite what it is, leaving the last three to feel wrong for some reason. But the main thing is, the other holidays build up the anticipation of Christmas. Now we're hyping up Christmas before Halloween, not letting the other holidays get their spotlight, and everything feels thrown off badly. So badly that Christmas doesn't feel right, and New Years feels like that sad last day of vacation where you have to pack up early because you have a long drive. you know, that day where you don't get to do anything unless it's on the way home.

It goes beyond the common putting too much into one day that leaves you just a little disappointed even though you know you shouldn't be. I'd say the anticipation is much more fun than the actual day, but too much anticipation doesn't make it special.

Now, I'll give it this. Having an extra month of shopping is a boon. Unless you want to get something that comes out inconveniently before Christmas, you'd be wise to start before the not really as good as they say they are sales before everything gets all crowded. Much like what happens with Back to School being almost before kids even get out of school, the retailers are expecting parents to spread out their shopping to save money. Also understandable. But we really don't need the Christmas Muzak they play in stores that early. Of course, Hallmark has always started the ornament reveal dates in Summer, yet they save the actual cards and everything else until later. I have to also relent to Christmas specific gift items popping up in stores early for early access. But you do NOT buy your tree (unless its artificial) until well after Thanksgiving because it'll turn into disgusting brown kindling by the time Christmas Eve comes.
 

D'Snowth

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That's... kind of what I said a few pages back.
 

Drtooth

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Sorry about that, Chief.

I only was at a Mall once, but the Muzak was kinda oppressive. Not horrible, they didn't play anything offensively commercial yet. I still think "Baby it's Cold Outside" is a horrible, evil song that shouldn't be associated with Christmas. It's about rape. No one listens to the lyrics of these things. You do not want to know what "Turning Japanese" is about. Don't even ask me. It's somewhere on Cracked, but I'm not telling you. It's very VERY offensive. But To have a song where a woman is clearly being roofied (the lyrics contain "Say, what's in this drink") play where kids can hear it? Merry freaking Christmas kids.
 

CensoredAlso

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It's very VERY offensive. But To have a song where a woman is clearly being roofied (the lyrics contain "Say, what's in this drink") play where kids can hear it? Merry freaking Christmas kids.
See I said that to my parents and they told me they remembered the song becoming famous when a woman sang it to a man, which has a different meaning. Might be a double standard but there you go, lol.
 

D'Snowth

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Either I'm not quite as gutteral in my thoughts, or I'm not looking deep enough into the meaning of the song, but I never interpreted it as a rape song... but then again, everybody says that Rattlesnake Jake rapes Beans in RANGO, even though he didn't (yeah, he licks her face, which is unwanted physical contact, which is sexual harassment, but certainly not full-on rape).
 
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