Do you know that you have a choice as to how you deal with Christmas creep? Each year, I see and hear people complaining about the earlier and earlier Christmas decor in stores. This is accompanied by the accusation sales that are starting earlier and earlier, threatening the importance of Thanksgiving. To be honest, my voice is one you’ll hear in this regard.
Is Christmas creep all in the imagination? No. It’s real. It’s been happening for a while but the recession sped it up. At least that’s what Danielle Kurtzleben suggests in her article that explains Christmas creep. Yes. you are being bombarded earlier and earlier with Christmas sales, etc.
Of course, there are elements related to Christmas that happen early with which people are comfortable. An example would be the Boy Scouts’ Christmas decoration fundraiser. They take pre-orders early to have them ready for you around Thanksgiving. It makes perfect sense. Many people time their decoration for just after Thanksgiving. Some things do need to happen early.
3 Issues related to Christmas creep
However, part of the issue that I hear and that I voice is multi-faceted. One aspect is the diminishing of Thanksgiving. Whether or not this is from a religious or non-religious perspective, it should give you pause at what is happening to a family day. However, you know the nature of this blog so there I have an overriding religious concern. A holiday that’s a great opportunity is to stop, give God thanks for God’s many benefits, including family, is being overtaken. Major stores now open on Thanksgiving day.
The other part of the issue has to do with the Christian calendar. Advent still precedes Christmas. Advent, that time of expectant waiting that helps you to prepare and more deeply appreciate the birth and return of Jesus Christ is overrun by the every increasingly early sales.
Then there is the whole issue of what Christmas is about. Well, it depends. If you look carefully you’ll get the answer. To the retailer, it’s sales. As much as you may wish that everyone would value Christmas for it’s religious significance as in times gone by, the question is, “Is it fair to expect this?” That question is not about whether or not you should speak up about the significance of Christmas. Rather, it’s a question of where the burden lies for a Christ-centered Christmas. This bring us to choice.
Christmas creep has been happening for some time and is accelerating. You do have a choice in how you respond to it. You can allow others to set the bar for you or you can set it for yourself. The choice you make depends on two things. One is your understanding of Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas. The other is the agenda you set based on this understanding. In many ways, it comes down to a choice between drifting right along with Christmas creep or swimming in sync with the church’s calendar which may mean swimming against the general tide.
This year, Thanksgiving is on November 28th. Advent begins on November 30th. What choice will you make in the face of Christmas creep? How will you respond?
