it is NOT Christmas yet!

I am forced to blog about something because it is just really wearing on me. It is NOT the Christmas season yet. Every year the stores start putting out Christmas stuff sooner and sooner. Hobby Lobby started in July at least. It's nuts to have it out so early. The rest started a few weeks ago...maybe the first part of October. Now don't get me wrong I love Christmas. It's my favorite time of year, but I don't want it now...it's not time yet. It's easy to see why the stores put out the stuff...it's to make you buy more of it. It's all for the money! I understand starting Christmas shopping early. That's so you aren't rushed and stressed last minute. We haven't yet, but probably will while we are in Pigeon Forge next week. Once I even bought a Christmas gift in May, but being prepared and having it out is a totally different thing. Except for years 2005-2007 when I had to put a Christmas tree up early for Christmas pictures, the day after Thanksgiving or that Saturday is usually the day to put up the tree. Last year we started listening to Christmas music the first part of November (because they were playing on the radio), we also watched Christmas movies starting mid-November. By the next month we were sick of it.
I think we need to acknowledge Thanksgiving for what it's for. It is not about stuffing food down your throat, or the fact that sales start the next day. It is a time to be thankful to God for providing throughout the year. That's what the pilgrims celebrated. Although they had an extremely tough year, many many of their people died, they were thankful for God that he brought them through. Shouldn't we give just as much thanks to our creator?
The retailers put up Christmas stuff to sell it. The Christmas season for Christians is the Advent. It begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas...traditionally (like this year) the Sunday AFTER Thanksgiving. The teachings of the Advent is to not only recognize the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, but also to teach of his second coming. Yes, we should celebrate this all year long, but that doesn't mean we leave our trees and light up all year long (that burgeons on something most of us don't want to be). Christmas has become a holiday of commercialism for the most part. Far too few people celebrate it for the original meaning. Even Christians think about the material gifts far more than the immeasurable gift Christ was to us. I'm guilty of it as much as anyone else. What if we took time out of the busy decorating, buying, giving, and did something to serve Christ as He served us? Wait what if we did it outside the Christmas season? Isn't that how we are supposed to live?
My point is that when we begin do the stuff of our now Christmas outside of the traditional season we begin to think about the busyness, the stuff, etc that encompasses that, and we loose sight of so many other things that we should do. I think we all do it. We have all become so materialistic that it's our biggest concern, whether we think so or not. It's so much a part of us we can't even see it. It's not only with Christmas, but everyday. Why do we want to pollute a time meant to celebrate the birth of our King with even more of it?

Don't even get me started on Easter!

Also, did you know the Christmas tree has origins in Pagan beliefs. Trees were decorated first for the Winter solstice. Adopted later into the Christian traditions of the holiday.