View from the Cheap Seats is an extension of the newsroom, which is frequently a site of heated debate on topics ranging from the extremely serious to the utterly ridiculous. This web edition features the views of print edition columnists Thom Barker (Wednesday) and Calvin Daniels (Friday), as well as web exclusive content by Devin Wilger (Thursday).
This week: How early is too early for Christmas advertising, decorating etc.?
Don’t care
Beyond the opportunity for a little time off and spending time with family, Christmas holds very little appeal to me.
Oh, there are certain little trappings and rituals I enjoy, but honestly, they are concentrated around a very few days at the end of December. The rest of it I can do without.
And do without, I do. In fact, I barely even notice it anymore. With the modern on-demand and vast array of entertainment options, for example, Christmas advertising becomes almost non-existent except for what is obvious in the larger environment, such as billboards, but those are easily ignored.
I also do not frequent places, such as malls, where the decorations and canned Christmas music and manufactured cheer is ubiquitous.
Does it come too early? Probably. I think the bigger societal problem is the rampant consumerism in general. But again, it barely affects me personally, at least not anymore.
The short answer to this question, I guess, is not so much yes, no or maybe, but that I simply do not care.
-Thom Barker
Wait until snow
Three things happen in early November. One, the first major snowfall happens. Two, I renew and my car’s registration for another year. Three, Christmas decorations go up. They usually happen at roughly the same time of year, and in that order. If the first cog in the machine is missed – the first snow – I will forget about the second and put off the third.
Christmas decorations are a seasonal thing, and they only work in winter. If there is no snow they look wrong, and it feels inappropriate. If there is snow, however, it feels unnatural when there are not any decorations.
I can understand other approaches, such as after Remembrance Day out of respect. But to me, it only feels too early if we are looking at a Christmas display on a bare lawn. I suppose this doesn’t work as well in more temperate climates, where snow rarely appears, but here, no decorations until it’s actually winter. If there’s no snow at all this winter, I apologize, but your Christmas decorations are going to look strange even on actual Christmas day.
-Devin Wilger
