I like the holidays, that lovely expanse between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day in which cards are exchanged, people gather, and company is enjoyed. That said, I am totally disturbed at the cartons I saw being unloaded in Hobby Lobby this weekend – boxes upon boxes of holiday ornaments, including this adorable, yet anachronistic, pirate Santa. I think it’s totally insane to begin stocking shelves with holiday merchandise already, especially since kids haven’t even gone back to school yet. And can Halloween get a chance to actually happen and be enjoyed before we begin layering them all together?
I can slightly understand retailers’ desires to get holiday merchandise on the shelves: times are hard and they are weathering one of the roughest summers on the books. Among others, Linens ‘N Things, The Sharper Image and even cheap clothing store Steve and Barry’s have filed for bankruptcy this summer with several more companies teetering precariously on the brink. The holidays are when they typically go into the black, hence the Black Friday after Thanksgiving. But so soon? Will the prolonged exposure of bulbs and light sets and miniature trees really have that much of an impact on their bottom line? Or will the early dissemination of holiday goods only spur annoyance?
Running into Pirate Santa in the aisles of Hobby Lobby did get me thinking about my own holiday list and how I am going to go about giving gifts this year. This past Christmas season, I read about the Handmade Pledge over at More Ways to Waste Time, which started my thinking about how I wanted to attack this year. Since learning to knit in February, I’ve made several presents with hopes of making several more before the holidays arrive. I am going to try my best to purchase the rest through artisans, hopefully local. There are tons of people out there who make beautiful, functional things that my friends and family will love. It just takes some planning, no?
I can’t believe I’m thinking about Christmas in July. There seems to be something wrong with that but I will appreciate the organization when it’s finals week and I’m preparing to leave for the holiday, submitting grades, and attempting to attend the holiday department events. And it will all be thanks to Pirate Santa.
