Seasons Greetings
That’s a phrase we have used over time, originally designed to include “Merry Christmas” and “Happy New Year” into one phrase—”Seasons Greetings”.
These days, American retailers may say “Seasons Greetings”—but it’s more like “Happy Halloween” and “Merry Christmas”…or “Happy Labor Day” blended with Christmas.
I was at a Walmart on Sunday, September 21st…I remember it specifically because I saw Christmas ornaments on display, and it occurred to me that we were now pushing Christmas decorations before the first day of Autumn.
Obviously, it’s only gotten worse since then. Sure, the first thing you see when you walk in are shelves full of Halloween-themed items. But where lawn and garden usually lives is now a neighborhood populated by large inflatable Santas and versions of Frosty the Snowman.
Check the forecast…it’s going to be close to 80 degrees today. Sure, that’s a little warm for mid-October…but again, it’s mid-October, before Halloween…and yet here comes Santa Claus, right down Santa Claus Lane…or in this case, aisle F15.
What’s the rush? Well, it’s sort of how we do everything these days. We speed through life so eager to get to the next thing that we don’t enjoy the here and now. Trust me, I’m as bad if not worse about that than any of you. Not the “bring on Christmas and consumerism” part, but the looking ahead and forgetting the moment part.
I got my 2026 calendars a month ago. In my defense, it’s because the store sells out of them by this time of year. But why?
I’m a capitalist, and if consumers are there to buy, who am I to enforce my quaint “one holiday at a time” approach.
But I haven’t even raked any leaves yet. And besides…all those trappings just get us further from the “reason for the season”—and yes, by season, I do mean Christmas…not whatever blend the storekeepers are trying to create.
