There is another war on the holiday season in which most people participate. The regulation of the holidays is something that gets more annoying every year. Arbitrary rules like, “No Holiday music until December 1st” or “No decorations until American Thanksgiving” are everywhere and people will get into loud angry debates about the “Proper” thing to do.
As much as people love the holidays, they love to complain about them more. There’s nothing like hearing a Gen X or Y complain about the commercialization of the Holidays. We are the generations that grew up with endless holiday specials, endless holiday themed toys, candy, etc.
The holidays are stressful, and people, as much as they like the days of, hate the lead up. The planning, the buying, the same 3 songs sung by 20 different people which play on the radio. I get it.
The biggest new trend now is the, “Respect our Veterans. No Christmas until after Remembrance Day!” As if the two are mutually exclusive. If you have a wreath on your door, or lights on, or are selling Holiday themed anything, you have no respect for Veterans.
BULLSHIT! and to hell with your emotionally manipulative crap! Your hate and fear of the coming holidays has nothing to do with respecting the brave men and women who fought and died to protect our freedom. Shame on you for using Veterans to legitimize your own personal dislike of the holidays
True respect has nothing to do with your decorative preferences. It has to do with your actions towards the Veterans. Wearing a Poppy, talking to the soldiers around you, telling them you appreciate their sacrifice, volunteering or donating to those associations that help Veterans, and going to Remembrance Day ceremonies.
The holidays aren’t starting any earlier than they have in the past twenty or thirty years. Decorations start appearing near the end of October, and on November first, all the places the Halloween decorations held is filled with winter holiday stuff.
It’s not earlier, you’re just noticing it earlier.
The winter holidays are an industry. They push our economy in a huge way. They are the yardstick the economists use to know the health of our economy.
It’s ok not to like it. I won’t judge (Others might, but they’re jerks). But if you truly hate it, for whatever reason, channel your anger and frustration into something useful. Volunteer your time, donate money, etc.
If someone is being genuinely hurtful, racist, or mean, then feel free to let loose; but don’t get on a high horse and try to police others’ harmless love of the holidays.
Have you been yelled at for celebrating too early?
Eric
I am so guilty of the holiday grumps. And I’ve held to the rule “not until after Remembrance Day” for as long as I can remember (growing up in our house, Christmas decorations did not come out before December 1st – “after Remembrance Day” was my concession!).
While I agree that on an individual level, how you treat Vets is how you show respect, but on a societal level, I find it quite disrespectful to have Remembrance Day competing for attention amidst all the furore of far too early Christmas celebrations.
It feels that, as a society, we’ve decided that frivolous spending and rampant consumerism is more important to us than remembering those who laid down their lives so we could celebrate precisely as we want to.
That’s just how I feel personally though. And I will probably silently, jerkily judge people who elect Christmas in November over Remembrance Day. That said, people are allowed to do what they want.
I’ll be over in my corner, muttering: “Bah, humbug!”…
Until December 1st.
The rampant commercialism isn’t going anywhere (The timelines haven’t changed much in the past 30 years) and I agree that going out holiday shopping on the 11th of November and ignoring Remembrance Day is disrespectful. Going to the ceremony and blasting Holy jolly Christmas is also extremely disrespectful.
Beyond that the two are not mutually exclusive. If you’d like to put up a wreath, how does that affect a veteran? If I listen to holiday music before the 11th, how is that hurting anyone?
Back to commercialism, I think we’re better off as a society the way we are. Imagine if instead of holiday stuff filling the shelves in stores they started selling Remembrance stuff. As far as I know, in Canada, no one makes a profit on Remembrance day (Except maybe flower sellers) and that’s a good thing.
Having Walmart trying to sell you fake plastic trees on November 1st is much more respectful than them trying to sell you “Lost Soldier” action figures or whatever.
And in the end it’s your choice and your beliefs but I’m seriously sick of people making me feel like crap for enjoying a holiday.
I’ll be over in my corner listening to Abba because I forgot to load holiday music on my phone…
Well, ABBA is a good choice!
Sorry if I made you feel like crap! That wasn’t my intention at all.
Interestingly, I agree with you on the individual level (Sure! Put out that wreath!), but find the societal level (Christmas music in stores… really?!) vastly different. Hm. Go figure.
Hear, hear!
I’m right with you, S.M. Carrière.
My father is a WWII veteran, and I feel that Remembrance Day is often ‘bowled over’ or forgotten in people’s rush to show their support for ‘bigger’ holidays like Christmas. So yes, I too am of the feeling of “not until after Remembrance Day.” And I’ll be damned if I’ll be made to feel guilty for having that opinion.
That said, everyone is free to have their own opinion, I have mine and I have posted that exact meme you mentioned about Remembrance Day. In effect, I state my opinion and stick to it. I don’t force it down anyone’s throat. How individuals react to my opinion… well, that’s THEIR issue, not mine. 😉
Those memes have more to do with the Holidays than veterans. They take away attention from Remembrance day and it’s importance.
Believe what you want and post what you want. I believe the two can exist at the same time.