For me no other color says Christmas better than red. I admit that Christmas used to be my favorite time of the year, but over the last decade or so I lost my love of Christmas. Don't misunderstand, I haven't lost my love of the reason for the holiday, just all the commercialism and irreverence that has become so pervasive where this holiday is concerned.
I guess the thing that ticks me off the most is everything now seems to jump from Halloween directly into Christmas with no consideration for Thanksgiving. Why can't Christmas be the way I remember it from childhood? Then, the Christmas season did not start until after Thanksgiving. The weekend after Thanksgiving was when you went downtown for the lighting of the city tree, viewing the lights and shop windows on main street.
The whole season gets started so early these days that it has all lost its excitement by the time the day actually arrives. Well, I seem to get burned out on all the decorations and music that assaults me every place I go.
Heck, even my Christmas cactus wants to get an early start this year. It began blooming several weeks ago and is about played out already.
Since all those ACLU folks have started their war on traditional holiday decorations on government property, the corner by city hall where the nativity scene used to be displayed is now planted in holly instead.
Even our city street department has gotten into the habit of having every lamp post in town decorated and lit by the first day of November.
Yep, why can't Christmas be the way I remember it from childhood.
I am linking this post to Ruby Tuesday and Rednesday.
Mary at "Work of the Poet" hosts Ruby Tuesday. Rednesday is a Wednesday meme hosted by Sue at "It's a Very Cherry World." Both memes are dedicated to the color red. To join the fun or just check out what Red others are excited to share visit Mary and her friends at Ruby Tuesdayand Sue and her friends from Rednesday
Yep, Christmas is a most colorful season....love the lighted wreath on the light post!!!
ReplyDeleteLEGO art is my Ruby Tuesday today, hope you can stop by to join me!!
The wreath is one of the nicest street decorations I've seen. Well done. Happy RT.
ReplyDeleteOh Mine has bloomed yet, however it does have some blooms. Oh yes Christmas is starting to appear.
ReplyDeleteHappy Ruby Tuesday-Fall Lazy Flare
I hate to say it but last year I had the tree down by December 23rd because I had set it up December 15th, as was tradition and had already been bombarded by everything since October. Of Course, we have no children here or I never would have. Jesus is the Reason for the Season but commercialism has really taken over. This year I'm going to wait til Dec 23 to put anything out. I don't have a lot anyway. Good post.
ReplyDeleteI love Christmas. I ignore all the commercialization. I feel that the spirit of Christmas should be with us all year round. That we should treat everyone as we would Christ.
ReplyDeleteMy Christmas cacti are late bloomers this year. They have only just started to form buds.
Love the lamp post wreaths. Yeah, it is a little too early for me.. I love Christmas and Jesus is the reason for the seasons.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week.
Nancy
I like that lantern!
ReplyDeleteMy Ruby Tuesday
Hear hear! My daughter and I went shopping today and were talking about how everything is already Christmas (and we aren't even ready for Thanksgiving). She said Thanksgiving is a lost Holiday now, except in the grocery stores. Not enough to commercialize about it.
ReplyDeleteYour Christmas cactus is lovely, even if it jumped the gun.
Lovely cactus! Yes, Walmart was putting out Christmas 2wks before Halloween-- we wait until after Turkey Day at my house!
ReplyDeleteFortunately I don't "get out" too much, as far as shopping goes. So I'm able to kind of ignore all the commercialism.
ReplyDeleteI do love the Reason for the Season, too.
Your blog is great!
Loved your post, I had fun looking around your blog a little.
ReplyDeleteblessings,
glenda
My Christmas cactus bloomed better last year than it ever has. So far, this year no sign of even a bud. I love them and hope it blooms again.
ReplyDeleteYep! I'm with you on Christmas coming way too early. I think I saw a Christmas commercial the day after Halloween. What the heck is going on that we're in such a rush...
ReplyDeletehave a good one,
bunny
For me no other color says Christmas better than red. amen girl!!
ReplyDeleteI love what your town does for decorating,that wreath is beautiful. I'm in Canada and our thanksgiving is in October..so I have plenty of time for decorating for fall and Halloween,,(two months) than I start my Christmas the beginning of November, which gives me two months..yahoooooo,lol.
Happy rednesday.
Although I've already started decorating a little bit, I agree with you Rita! Christmas has become so much work, and I think alot of us have forgotten the meaning of it all. I hate that it's all "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". This is America, where we celebrate CHRISTMAS!!! Thank you for letting me rant a little bit here!
ReplyDeleteHappy REDnesday!
Carol
I admit I LOVE to decorate for Christmas, I'm having a Christmas party at my home on the 4th of Dec so I do have to decorate early. Me and my house fill the holiday season with church activites, giving to the homeless, adopting a needy family with our life group. I feel I can still decorate and enjoy the true meaning of Christmas. Love the citys red wreaths, very pretty.
ReplyDeleteAnn
Beautiful wreath, ours in town don't compare to that. I like to put up the tree and start the holiday festivities the day after Thanksgiving too.
ReplyDeleteThere was Christmas music on the radio today as we were driving back from the condo.... too early!
Annette
Looks like you have a Thanksgiving Cactus. I recently read an article that the described the different "Christmas Cacti"...there are three, according to the article. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Each should/will bloom somewhere around that particular holiday. I have determined that I have 3 Christmas and 2 Easter.
ReplyDeleteHappy Rednesday to you:o)
Fondly,
Ann
@
The Tattered Tassel
Hello! Loving those street decorations!
ReplyDeleteI am guilty of doing Christmas early. But I have too because when you do 12- 14 trees in your home and work full time, you have too!
I LOVE Christmas.... The decorating , the songs, the feeling people have toward each other! I guess I love it so much that i want it to last longer than just a few weeks. I too grew up as you did and I remember being so very disappointed that it had come and gone so fast.I guess I just want to hang on to it a little longer.
Hugs,
Debbie @ A Debbie-Dabble Christmas
Even though I love Christmas, I agree with you mostly. Of course, back in "the old days" the earliest we put the tree and dec's up was two weeks before, and the anticipation just about killed us! But it was great! And the wait for Thanksgiving was such a big deal, too. Nowadays, I like to put up my vintage dec's early so I can enjoy them longer!
ReplyDeleteMy aunt recently gave me cuttings from her Christmas cactus, which was my grandmother's plant before her, and maybe even my great-grandmothers, because my aunt said the plant is 100 years old!