Respect The Bird

No Christmas Before Thanksgiving!

Remember when stores used to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to put up their Christmas decorations? They’ve been pushing that date back earlier and earlier, and now it seems like Halloween marks the starting line for the holiday marketing frenzy. I usually can ignore the hype until after Thanksgiving by staying away from shopping malls and big box stores, but this year the premature Christmas onslaught is everywhere. Holiday lights are up at work, Starbucks is using their red cups, and I’ve even heard of Santa sightings.

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I’m no Grinch, but I don’t like this one bit.

It’s bad enough that the Thanksgiving newspaper comes with a huge stack of ads for Black Friday shopping–can’t we take time to be thankful for all that we have before we are bombarded with things we are supposed to want? But now we are supposed to be halfway done with our holiday shopping lists before we even finish writing our Thanksgiving grocery list.

I am not falling for it.

First, I refuse to even think about Christmas shopping until we’ve made it through my birthday this week and my daughter’s birthday next week. Second, if I did buy any presents this early, chances are I would forget what I’d bought and who I’d bought it for by the time the real holiday shopping frenzy kicks in. Those years when my kids got extra-special Valentine’s Day presents? They don’t need to know that Santa forgot to put them under the Christmas tree!

This year, I am going to #RespectTheBird and wait until after Thanksgiving before I do any Christmas shopping. It may be impossible to boycott stores that already are promoting holiday shopping, but at least I can keep my money in the bank until Black Friday.

Have you started Christmas shopping?

Do you go shopping on Black Friday?

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13 Responses to Respect The Bird

  1. Kat says:

    Haha all of our shopping is done ONLINE – I can’ t handle the mall or shopping during this crazy time of year!

  2. MIZ says:

    no and no.
    this jew is not a fan of the early christmas either—EXCEPT the fact that our FAVE MALL SANTA will be out in Austin when we go for thanksgiving!
    it will be our either visit and Im so excited.

  3. Yes!! I can’t believe that there are Christmas things up already! We’re at my in-laws and they pulled out their box for Christmas decorations. For fun, Jasper decided to put up their tree and decorate it and it just didn’t feel right! #RespectTheBird!

  4. Yum Yucky says:

    The bird is totally disrespected, but I’m already finished more than 1/2 of my holiday shopping. But only because as Christmas draws nearer, I want to focus more on the joys of the holiday itself and much less on shopping. When I used to shopping in December it stressed me out and killed the true spirit of Christmas for me. Any shopping I do this December will be spontaneous, unplanned and unforced. Ahhhh, I’m feeling so relaxed. hehe

    • Coco says:

      Aw, come on, it’s not Christmas until you’ve elbowed someone out of your way to grab the last PreciousGift that will MakeOrBreak the holiday a few minutes before the stores close on Christmas Eve!

  5. Kim says:

    I saw pictures on Face Book yesterday of people who had already done their Santa pics with the kids – insane!!!
    If we aren’t hosting Thanksgiving I will sometimes put my Christmas decorations out that week because it takes a long time – this year we have company so I will wait! Thanksgiving is actually my favorite holiday!!

    • Coco says:

      Don’t you think that will backfire? Instead of kids having to wait 4 weeks until Christmas, they will have to wait 8 weeks. It already seems like it takes forever when you’re a kid!

  6. I like that, #Respectthebird (though for me as a vegan, it’s a whole other thing lol as well). I love Christmas because it’s Jesus’ birthday and it’s a nice time of year, but I agree, the stores are pushing the commercial part of things on us WAY too early. I think mid-November at the earliest if they can’t wait until Thanksgiving. But, before 11/1 is nuts!
    I haven’t done any shopping yet, but that’s due to a few factors. Though, I do a lot of my gift shopping online anyway.

  7. I have started my Christmas shopping albeit reluctantly but with small children at home I need to start catching the good early bird deals. I am just glad that I don’t work in retail where I am sure that the Christmas music is already being piped in non-stop 🙂

  8. I love this idea. Although with Hanukkah starting the day before Thanksgiving, I’m in full planning mode right now. But, I’ve never been one to do the Black Friday thing for holiday gifts.

  9. Tara Newman says:

    I totally AGREE! I have already started my holiday shopping and have no intention on Thanksgiving or Black Friday. I don’t find the deals to be any better than before Thanksgiving. I do a lot of my shopping on line now too.

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