by Erik Van Tongerloo

Created on: November 02, 2010

Halloween is just passed and we notice already that the shops are decorated with Christmas trees and started already to store all kind of Christmas goods. How can people now be in the mood of Christmas if the Halloween parties with pumpkins, ghosts, witches and spooky items are just passed? It is too soon; most everyone loves Christmas but the commercial trend changed the real Christmas traditions.

People love to see Christmas decorations in the streets but not two or even more months before. Different holidays are competing now and maybe within a few years we don't see the difference anymore between all the holidays or some of them are "just forgotten". When I walked in September in a shopping street in Salzburg I noticed already Christmas trees, Christmas decorations but also Easter gifts. You could already see Bugs Bunny with chocolate Eastern eggs.

It was just one of the first days of the month September and it was already possible to buy presents for the different holidays. It is totally wrong; if the commercial trend goes and shops start to sell these decorations months before the real date of the event; we will mix the different holidays and forget the real traditions. Maybe we will see pumpkins with Santa Claus and witches and ghosts are hanging in the Christmas trees. Bugs Bunny will sleep in the Christmas crib and our children forget all the real Christmas traditions.

It might seem ridiculous but the commercial trends tend to change all our traditions. If business promotions for Christmas gifts start earlier, people are going to start earlier with their purchases for Christmas time and they will celebrate this event for a longer time.

Christmas is also a time of many contests for as well adults as children, for example decoration contest, the best Christmas song, creative Christmas ideas, the most original "Father Christmas" are some contests which starts already soon after Halloween. Thanksgiving Day tend to become "a forgotten holiday" if their thoughts are already with Christmas in mind.

Rushing the Christmas season through business promotions and personal decorations is really expensive. Nobody can ignore all these Christmas promotions in the shops months before Christmas. There is also a wide range of these promotions available online and many people changed their purchase habits with starting earlier to rush the Christmas season. We likely can’t stop this commercial trend to rush the Christmas season. Most everyone likes Christmas but also regret that the business promotions doesn't respect the real Christmas period. It is not unlikely that many people will forget the real meaning of Christmas "the birth of Jesus".

Christmas promotions are a real hype now and we have to ignore these actions. We need to teach our children to start celebrating Christmas in the beginning of December and not two or three months before. Christmas is a time of peace, love and original Christmas traditions. It is best to keep these traditions alive in December; otherwise people will forget the fun of the real Christmas holiday!

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