Canadian Thanksgiving is about two weeks away on the weekend of October 6 -8 this year. Yes, we celebrate the way Americans do, with too much food and football on the tube.
Hallowe-en is about a month away.
The proximity of these two holidays makes for some interesting sights in stores right now here in Canada. The paperboard cutouts of turkeys and the fake autumn leaves are fighting for space with the paperboard cutouts of black cats and the plastic skeletons on the shelves.
What is it about some retail outlets that they rush the seasons? I haven’t seen it myself, but I did hear a news commentator saying that he’d seen Hallowe’en stuff on store shelves before Labour Day. I mean, c’mon. They’re still pushing the “back to school” stuff and they’ve already got the Hallowe’en stuff out? This is something I just don’t understand. If you’re a parent, you know there is no point in buying your child a costume before Labour Day because the kid’s going to change their mind at least five times between early September and the end of October. Same thing with buying the goodies to hand out. They’ll be stale by Hallowe’en if you buy them now, that is if they don’t get eaten in the meantime.
And, if this is a typical year, many stores, once they remove the Thanksgiving displays, will replace them with Christmas stuff. Definitely right after Hallowe’en if not immediately. My personal view, especially with Christmas, is that since people are inundated with Christmas advertising for at least six weeks, once Christmas actually arrives, people have become insulated against what should be a joyous time of year.
Am I the only one who feels merchants push things too much; that they rush to get the next season’s or occasion’s products on display? I know from past observation that shortly after New Year’s, they will have the Valentine’s Day displays up; and about February 16 will have the paper shamrocks out for St Patrick’s Day. It may help boost the bottom line for the merchants, but do their patrons end up suffering from festive overload and just don’t care when the day actually arrives?
Of course, if you believe the stories surrounding the Mayan long calendar, there won’t be a Christmas anyway. But I’m am optimist. All that will happen is the calendar will start over, just as does ours every January 1.
Enjoy your day and remember to hug an artist – we need love too.
Cat.
Catseyeview 