sparquelito Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 Department stores are clearing out the Halloween stuff, already, and schlepping in Christmas decorations and displays. I rarely go into Walmart (and places like that) as it is, but in the past few years, their habit of putting Christmas stuff out in October put me completely off shopping there. I wrote this song, accordingly, just a few years ago. http://chirb.it/JEwaA1 Too soon, indeed. All this marketing of Christmas stuff months early absolutely drives the magic and the wonderfulness of Christmas right out of me. 😔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted October 15, 2021 Author Share Posted October 15, 2021 Actually, quite a few years ago. Now that I reflect on it. But it's not like Walmart ever listens to me. And yes, I sent the song to Walmart, a few times over the years. 😐 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBSinTo Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 Money makes the world go 'round, and trumps all. So this isn't a new phenomenon, it has just become more commercially institutionalized and efficient in separating the citizens from their money. Did the Magi started shopping for the Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, the day after Halloween? Whatcha think? RBSinTo 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tx-ogre Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 (edited) Seems kinda silly to be promoting Christmas so early this year. Fauci says it’s too soon to say if he will “let” us have Christmas. No presents on the shelves to buy. No turkeys for Christmas dinner. And I heard a rumor that Santa has already been notified that there is a shortage of coal to put in the naughty peoples’ stockings. Outlook seems pretty grim. Edited October 15, 2021 by tx-ogre 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 I saw something on Jimmy Kimmel's monologue about some nonsense with Dr. Fauci as the Grinch or something like that. Weird. Yes, it's way too early for Christmas stuff. PA hasn't even had Fall and it's the middle of October. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNJ Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 Why the Bah Humbug! Why do people hate Christmas? IMO, some good cheer right now isn’t a bad thing! It’s time to turn this whole negative World around! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted October 16, 2021 Author Share Posted October 16, 2021 6 hours ago, Larsongs said: Why the Bah Humbug! Why do people hate Christmas? IMO, some good cheer right now isn’t a bad thing! It’s time to turn this whole negative World around! I love Christmas, Larsongs. I am blessed with so many fond memories of Christmas as a child, and years later, raising my daughter in Germany. Christkindlmarkt, gluhwein, the chill in the air, snow on the ground, so wonderful. All my memories are from late December, obviously, through all those decades. And so nowadays, walking into the store to pick up groceries in October and November, and tripping over Christmas displays, on the other hand, it's just wrong. I really hate it. 😞 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 I'm spending Christmas working and it suits me fine. I dont much like turkey anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 that's marketing for ya. the problem is, if you don't get into the "buying" spirit now, you wont find anything left after Halloween. I'm already seeing the doomsday articles that there will be a shortage christmas tress, which of course true or not true, pushes the prices up. Oh the merriment!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 (edited) Marketing is always happening! They Market Guitars every day of the year.. We’re always put in a better Spirit when we see something new & cool.. For me it’s about getting into the Spirit… Marketing for something is always going on… The Price on new Guitars just went up too……. Edited October 16, 2021 by Larsongs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNJ Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 Marketing aside, the pandemic wrecked havoc with supply chain of goods and supplies. My family quit the "gotta have a bunch of stuff for Xmas" a long time ago once the kids got into their late teens (now in their 30's and late 20's). It's more important that we can get together at someone's house and hang out together for Xmas. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvi Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 spending time with our people instead of spending money on them, that would be my wish..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitefang Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 Yeah, I get the OP's gripe. When I was a kid, the Christmas season in retail stores traditionally didn't start until after Thanksgiving. And that was long enough ago that there WASN'T any of this "Black Friday" crap. And still, with a kid's thrill of it all, the Christmas season always seemed to be a long time, despite in reality it was merely a month long or less. But the anticipation made it seem to take forever to get here! But lately( and since becoming an adult with a family) it seems no sooner than when you put away all the decorations and take down the lights, you(as my Mom would put it) turn around and spit twice and it's already time to drag it all OUT again! Sure. I noted that when I started seeing Halloween candy for sale in the marked shortly after Labor Day, that the Christmas items would soon follow. But I still like the holiday, the corny trappings and decorations. and like jivi pointed out, spending time with our people. Many of us don't( and can't in some cases) see one another until then too. And that to me, makes it all even more special. Whitefang 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 (edited) 15 hours ago, Larsongs said: Why the Bah Humbug! Why do people hate Christmas? IMO, some good cheer right now isn’t a bad thing! It’s time to turn this whole negative World around! We don't but kids haven't even trick or treated yet, and then we still have turkey day before we even get to the holiday with the guy with a beard. Edited October 16, 2021 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 Mele Kalikimaka 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tx-ogre Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 (edited) On 10/15/2021 at 9:15 PM, Larsongs said: Why the Bah Humbug! Why do people hate Christmas? IMO, some good cheer right now isn’t a bad thing! It’s time to turn this whole negative World around! Historically, Christmas has been a time of the year when terrible things have happened over multiple years. I won’t bore everyone with a list, but I do generally mention one specific incident: Christmas Eve 1974. I hear my parents arguing (nothing new there), then what was obviously a gunshot, then my mother screaming and a few minutes later, EMS and the police arriving at our front door. My dumba$$ old man had accidentally shot my mother in the leg (she survived). I guess in his pathetic mind he wasn’t sure what to give to the woman who had everything, so he decided on a bullet. Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but when you really want to send a message of true love, a .22 caliber lead bullet is sure to impress. And since this was a time when body armor was not readily available, Santa skipped our house that night due to safety concerns. But hey, I got to share a holiday story that could not be equaled by my friends or classmates. Ho! Ho! Freaking Ho! Anyway, over the years things at Christmas did change when our grandkids were younger. My wife and I enjoyed making a serious effort to make Christmas special for them. But my grand-daughter is in college and my grandson is a sophomore in high school so the season is not the same. Edited October 17, 2021 by tx-ogre 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 11 hours ago, tx-ogre said: Historically, Christmas has been a time of the year when terrible things have happened over multiple years. I won’t bore everyone with a list, but I do generally mention one specific incident: Christmas Eve 1974. I hear my parents arguing (nothing new there), then what was obviously a gunshot, then my mother screaming and a few minutes later, EMS and the police arriving at our front door. My dumba$$ old man had accidentally shot my mother in the leg (she survived). I guess in his pathetic mind he wasn’t sure what to give to the woman who had everything, so he decided on a bullet. Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but when you really want to send a message of true love, a .22 caliber lead bullet is sure to impress. And since this was a time when body armor was not readily available, Santa skipped our house that night due to safety concerns. But hey, I got to share a holiday story that could not be equaled by my friends or classmates. Ho! Ho! Freaking Ho! Anyway, over the years things at Christmas did change when our grandkids were younger. My wife and I enjoyed making a serious effort to make Christmas special for them. But my grand-daughter is in college and my grandson is a sophomore in high school so the season is not the same. Holy CRAP!!! that is quite the tale.. "then there was the Christmas I shot you,, remember that one hon???" Oy!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitefang Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 Well, no surprise there. Christmas being different when the kids and grandkids grow up. But still being able to spend that holiday with them should make the holiday just as festive. Of course, if it's a case of them not living nearby or having moved way out of state, it is a different story. But, there's still the TELEPHONE( I don't think a Christmas "text" is fitting) and if y'all have all the right gadgets, there's "Facetime" as well. This year will be much different for us too. A few passings, a couple of divorces and a few too ill to participate. But we'll not let that entirely kill our spirit. In other words too.... Don't allow a bunch of greedy retail jerks more interested in the almighty buck instead of the familial rejoicing and religious(to many) sanctity of the holiday control how YOU feel about the day. YOU should be in control of your emotions and reactions. Not THEM. Whitefang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NighthawkChris Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 To me, Christmas is all about family. I have found that as I get older, it's the only thing that really matters. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tx-ogre Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 On 10/17/2021 at 8:16 AM, kidblast said: Holy CRAP!!! that is quite the tale.. "then there was the Christmas I shot you,, remember that one hon???" Oy!!! Ironically, she did get an unpleasant reminder of the incident about 30 years later. She was being treated for a severely infected big toe that was caused by a serious circulation problem. Since she was in her late 70s and had been diagnosed with diabetes several years earlier, the doctors assumed the diabetes was the cause of the circulation issue. However, the doctor that ultimately had to amputate the toe, was shocked to discover the problem was something else entirely. After running several tests, he went into the exam room and asked her if she had ever been shot in the leg. And she was like, “Yep. My idiot ex-husband shot me about 30 years ago and the bullet couldn’t be removed.” It turned out the bullet had moved over the years and was putting pressure on part of the circulation system in her leg and foot, leading to the infection and amputation. So, 23 years after their divorce, my old man still managed to rear his ugly head in a big way. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted October 19, 2021 Share Posted October 19, 2021 2 hours ago, tx-ogre said: Ironically, she did get an unpleasant reminder of the incident about 30 years later. She was being treated for a severely infected big toe that was caused by a serious circulation problem. Since she was in her late 70s and had been diagnosed with diabetes several years earlier, the doctors assumed the diabetes was the cause of the circulation issue. However, the doctor that ultimately had to amputate the toe, was shocked to discover the problem was something else entirely. After running several tests, he went into the exam room and asked her if she had ever been shot in the leg. And she was like, “Yep. My idiot ex-husband shot me about 30 years ago and the bullet couldn’t be removed.” It turned out the bullet had moved over the years and was putting pressure on part of the circulation system in her leg and foot, leading to the infection and amputation. So, 23 years after their divorce, my old man still managed to rear his ugly head in a big way. Wow... that's one crazy christmas story man.. not one I can say I'd be able to look back on a laugh about.. thanks for sharing that. sorry for your moms and your troubles there. must have been some a rough times for you guys over those years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tx-ogre Posted October 19, 2021 Share Posted October 19, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, kidblast said: Wow... that's one crazy christmas story man.. not one I can say I'd be able to look back on a laugh about.. thanks for sharing that. sorry for your moms and your troubles there. must have been some a rough times for you guys over those years. Not to worry. This may have been the most over-the-top Christmas story I have, but it certainly wasn’t an isolated incident. My family “put the fun back in dysfunctional.” But like the old saying goes: What doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger. I was fortunate to have been born with a sense of humor, so I was able to deal with adversity through humor, albeit oftentimes rather dark. It has helped me to maintain my sanity through some trying times. Marine Corps boot camp? Nothing I can’t handle. None of my drill instructors were bigger a$$holes than what I grew up around. Yawn! And in my civilian career, I worked assignments that nobody else wanted, but had to be worked by someone. So guess who ended up with the assignment. I actually adapted and in many ways, thrived because of the weird, disgusting and pathetic activities that I experienced growing up and now had regular exposure to. I was in my element. It actually made me better at what I did because the outrageous things I dealt with on the job were not that far moved from what I dealt with growing up. It’s,all about “comfort zone.” Been there. Done that. Got the T-Shirt. Following one of the tenants of the Marine Corps: Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. I am nothing special, just an average mope who deals with the hand he’s been dealt. And it’s definitely been a wild and interesting ride. For a lot of years early on, I was bitter and pissed off. But that got me nowhere in the long run. You learn to move on. And I know for a fact, from personal and professional experience, that there are a lot of other people out there who have experienced far worse than I have. It’s all relative. And as hard as it can be at times, life goes on. Edited October 19, 2021 by tx-ogre 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitefang Posted October 19, 2021 Share Posted October 19, 2021 15 hours ago, tx-ogre said: Ironically, she did get an unpleasant reminder of the incident about 30 years later. She was being treated for a severely infected big toe that was caused by a serious circulation problem. Since she was in her late 70s and had been diagnosed with diabetes several years earlier, the doctors assumed the diabetes was the cause of the circulation issue. THAT'S the part of that tale which doesn't surprise me. My wife was diabetic, and I recall that no matter WHAT she went to any doctor for anything, once they found out she was diabetic their eyes seemed to glaze over and they'd announce, "So! Just get your sugar under control and you'll get better." Yep. They figured; Diabetic? CASE CLOSED! Mattered not one bit that at the time, her sugar was under control. That's true of anyone. Any symptom you have could be a sign of maybe a dozen or more health issues. But most doctors will assume they indicate a malady that has the highest known average, and will treat your problem thus. And when it doesn't help, they'll then assume YOU haven't followed their recommendations thoroughly or correctly. You have to damn near die, or actually die before anyone bothers to investigate what the problem actually was. I call it "chart medicine". See, a lot of "doctors" come out of medical school with a vision of a chart embedded in their minds. Once a patient comes to them with a particular complaint, they check their inner chart so see what it says the symptom indicates. And what that chart says as to how it should be treated. You could waste years and thousands of dollars or even die before you finally get a correct diagnosis. Now, not every doctor practices "chart medicine", and you have to be diligent in your search for one who doesn't. You didn't(far as I surmise) indicate if your mom is still with us, but if she is, I hope things are better for her now. Don't see how they could've got much worse, but I'm wishing her well. Whitefang 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tx-ogre Posted October 20, 2021 Share Posted October 20, 2021 (edited) 10 hours ago, Whitefang said: THAT'S the part of that tale which doesn't surprise me. My wife was diabetic, and I recall that no matter WHAT she went to any doctor for anything, once they found out she was diabetic their eyes seemed to glaze over and they'd announce, "So! Just get your sugar under control and you'll get better." Yep. They figured; Diabetic? CASE CLOSED! Mattered not one bit that at the time, her sugar was under control. That's true of anyone. Any symptom you have could be a sign of maybe a dozen or more health issues. But most doctors will assume they indicate a malady that has the highest known average, and will treat your problem thus. And when it doesn't help, they'll then assume YOU haven't followed their recommendations thoroughly or correctly. You have to damn near die, or actually die before anyone bothers to investigate what the problem actually was. I call it "chart medicine". See, a lot of "doctors" come out of medical school with a vision of a chart embedded in their minds. Once a patient comes to them with a particular complaint, they check their inner chart so see what it says the symptom indicates. And what that chart says as to how it should be treated. You could waste years and thousands of dollars or even die before you finally get a correct diagnosis. Now, not every doctor practices "chart medicine", and you have to be diligent in your search for one who doesn't. You didn't(far as I surmise) indicate if your mom is still with us, but if she is, I hope things are better for her now. Don't see how they could've got much worse, but I'm wishing her well. Whitefang Thanks for the kind words. She passed back in 2011. Her last 2 years were rather difficult, but she went as peacefully as could be expected, which was a good thing and something for which I was very grateful. In all fairness to the doctors at the time, from what my brother told me, they were very conscientious. (I was living 2000 miles away at the time and getting my information second-hand from him .) Despite their original suspicions, my mother’s diabetes was well controlled. It was not at a serious level, she took only oral meds to control it and there were a lot times when her fasting glucose levels were below 70. So her numbers tended to be on the very low end (many times too low) of the spectrum. It was probably due to that information that they made a point of ordering the tests to confirm that their original suspicions were correct. Plus, anyone who ever met my mother would have never suspected her of being a gunshot victim and that a bullet was the source of the problem. So anyway, their due diligence resulted in an accurate diagnosis. The end results sucked, but at least we were satisfied that everything that could be done, had been done. Edited October 20, 2021 by tx-ogre 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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