Merry Veterans Day!

Ho Ho Ho! Time to pull out the old yule log. Put on some Bing Crosby. And remember just how great Veterans Day is.

Veterans Day?

Seems to be. As the first Christmas ads appeared this year as Skewed went to press with our Armistice Day post. That would be November 11th for those of you playing the home game. November 11. There was no snow on the ground. There wasn't even a Thanksgiving turkey on the table. November the 11th. Less than two weeks removed from Halloween. Are you kidding me?

Call me jaded, but I'm getting the distinct feeling that Best Buy, Circuit City, Macy's, and the Gap aren't terribly concerned with Christmas as much as they are with making a truck load of money.

I'll spare you any more sarcasm. I get that in America, Christmas is a commercial holiday - the grand poobah of Capitalism, a celebration of credit, debt, and the bottom line as much as it is a religious holiday of any kind. I also get that Christmas is a fairly recent institution, historically speaking. There was no Christmas celebration in the time of Jesus. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John weren't singing the Twelve Days of Christmas. I also get that Christmas was as pagan holiday of the highest order - converted (pardon the pun) by the Christian Church much later in time. So I get that you're not really trampling on an "original" holiday. But still, Christmas has a sense of sacredness, a bond with family, spending time with the people who matter and remembering all that's good in our complicated 21st century lives. It should not be about a sale on designer socks - damn nice though they are.

I'm not really sure where I come down on this argument. I'm a Methodist - which means I observe Christmas as a religious holiday. I'm also laid back - which means I spend Christmas at home, opening presents, sipping nog, watching A Christmas Story for the millionth time, and enjoying my new video games (of which one always ends up on the list). So the commercialism is partly my fault - I buy into it somewhat (not 5AM shopping, but I still buy things).

I guess all I ask for is a little less whoring. Sure, sell it all baby, let it all hang out. But wait until I'm digesting my turkey on Thanksgiving Day. You have to get me in the mood first before you screw me out of my money - so at least have the patience for me to see Santa roll in front of Macy's on NBC before you start flinging the ads at me. I think a month and change is long enough to hock your wares.

I'm not even going to touch the War on Christmas... Fox News, get back in your cage!

We used to joke that at the rate Madison Avenue is going, Christmas will be celebrated the week after Independence Day... I'm not so sure this is a joke anymore.