My annual holiday rant. Kind of.

Actually, it’s not as much of a rant this year. For the first year in several I actually feel more in the “holiday spirit” and not so “bah, humbug” like I have since the layoff in ‘07, the divorce in ‘08, and the bankruptcy in ‘09–’10. This year I have a regular job, I’m recently married to my junior-high crush, and an actual family to enjoy the season with. The things I lost have been returned and then some. I have many reasons this year to be thankful.

Where the bah, humbug creeps in is the crass commercialism that seems to sneak in earlier and earlier every year. The local Walmart had its Christmas decorations out since September. No sooner was Hallowe’en over than Disney World had its Christmas decorations adorning the parks and shops (not that I minded; it’s my favorite time of year in the parks, and now that I have someone with me it’s even more special). “Black Friday” sales are now creeping into “Black Thursday” and starting its incessant pushing of “give us your dollars” not even hours after we’ve just spent time with our families being thankful for what we already have.  The sacred Babe in the manager has been replaced by the MasterCard and VISA logos.

Thankfully there are companies like Nordstrom, who have had a policy going for 20 years now that the holiday decorations don’t go up until after Thanksgiving, because as they put it, “happiness is celebrating one holiday at a time.” BRA-VO.

With people as financially pinched as we are this year with the slowly recovering economy, hopefully it won’t be so much about the shopping and tangibles as it should be able the more sacred intangibles—the purpose and source of the Christmas celebration. We’ll see.

As for me and my wife, we’re heading to Mass on Thanksgiving Day, followed by family time in the parks (family being just the two of us at the moment).

Happy Thanksgiving.