It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.....

Christmas. It’s coming. Some say it comes earlier every year. Now you know that isn’t really true. Christmas falls on December 25 every year. But retailers are coming after us and our holiday budgeted dollars earlier every year. Or maybe it just feels that way.

So I’m sitting in a hospital waiting room (more on that in a later post) watching the tv to pass the time. The Today Show is on. They’re running a segment about stores and hot toys children will be begging for this year.  Main topic: “What are retailers’ plans for Black Friday?”

As we all know, stores have outrageous sales to kick off the holidays on the day after Thanksgiving. They usually begin at the crack of dawn. Parents panic. Frenzied pushing and shoving ensues. Sometimes violent behavior as they fight each other to get the last deep discounted baby doll on the Walmart shelf for Janie. Or that unbelievably under-priced one-of-a-kind action hero for Johnny found in the Target circular.

Recently, retailers have been jockeying with each other to open earlier and earlier to strip you, the consumer, of those precious dollars you’ve earmarked for the holidays. They know we're budgeting less money for Christmas. These days most responsible people are prioritizing and putting their hard earned wages towards life’s necessities first (like food, mortgage, utilities, tequila….oh wait a minute…that's my list....never mind!). Then they decide if there's anything left to buy a few gifts for Janie and Johnny. And these days, that’s not much.

So I got to thinking. The holiday shopping season kickoff needs a new name since its not happening on Friday anymore. It’s now Thanksgiving Thursday. Retailers have this crazy idea we'll give up our family gatherings, our day to count blessings, the turkey and the afternoon of football to head to the malls to kick start Christmas shopping (and other shoppers who get in our way).

Ladies and gentlemen say goodbye to turkey day as you know it. It’s going the way of the 8-track tape. Obsolete. But where does it end? Will it someday be pushed back to October? Will we have to bid adieu to Halloween?

What are your thoughts on this phenomenon?