Christmas Time is Here

Christmas fever is hitting earlier and earlier each year throughout the Western world.  We wondered when the shopping ads and holiday decorations would go up here- especially given the lack of Thanksgiving as a buffer holiday.

Seems like the presence or absence of the buffer November celebration doesn't sway the holiday timeline either way.  The city has already held celebrations for the lighting of their Christmas lights, costumed characters traded their human statue digs for Santa outfits, and the shopping centers have assembled Christmas villages with their own "Department Store Santa."  Our own reports from America, sent via bottle airmail Skype chat, indicate Christmas season has gripped the States by now, as well.

Christmas Village at the Shopping Centre

"For Shame!"  Cry citizens of both sides of the Atlantic.  Americans (including us, in this case) are doing their best to put off the Christmas frenzy until after Thanksgiving to give proper honor (?) to the holiday where we eat the most second most a lot of food.  Christmastime in America should start on Black Friday, the day of rabid, violent, Lord of the Flies-level shopping and commercialism.  Yessir, that's the day we should break out the lights and the tree, that's the day for radio stations (and homes) to start Christmas music on an 24-hour loop.  Starting Christmastime in November will just make us sick of Christmas by the time it arrives!

Aha!  There's the reason we hear (from our small sample size) from our local friends and neighbors.  There isn't a big November holiday to celebrate here in Ireland, so after Halloween (and October Bank Holiday,) Christmas is next on the calendar.  We have heard from our local friends that the holiday festivities have been creeping up the calendar in the last few years.  Soon, it is speculated, everyone will be hanging lights, wrapping gifts, eating mince pies, and sitting on Santa's lap on November 1st- just like home in Iowa!

Happy Holidays, everyone, no matter when you start the celebrations!