As a child, I craved the day where I could begin belting “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” at the top of my lungs. Many people have count-downs that begin the day after Christmas. Growing up, it was a common rule that we Christmas-lovers wait until after Thanksgiving to begin the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping and celebration of Christmas music.
That date has now changed to the day after Halloween. They say, “ignorance is bliss”, but what about ignoring a national holiday?
The national holiday has come to be known as a day full of self-indulgence and preparation for holiday shopping at midnight.
However, historically, Thanksgiving is a three-day celebration that began in 1621 when the Plymouth pilgrims and Wampanoag tribe shared an autumn feast together (history.com).
We seem to forget that Thanksgiving exists, and hop right into the Christmas season. One primary reason stores such as Target begin putting out decorations, and Christmas-themed commercials air so early is because Christmas sells.
The holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year for stores, creating a large increase in revenue. The popular Christmas shopping event known as Black Friday, has gradually moved its starting time from midnight, to Thanksgiving day.
Even Disneyland has begun celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving. The popular theme-park has said to have opened the winter-wonderland on November 10th (disneyland.disney.go.com).
The argument over celebrating Christmas too early has become a trend. Based on their level of sympathy for the forgotten holiday, Americans have split into “Team Thanksgiving” and “Team Christmas”. Public opinion polls circulate Twitter feeds, debates on the controversial topic echo throughout school hallways and Target isles.
The push for Christmas is inevitable due to the way stores advertise, especially on television. But, no matter which team you are on, you have to admit that you get a little burst of excitement when you hear the classic “Carol of the Bells” in the background of that Chevy commercial.
References:
http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving