Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Who's with me? I heard the Ronettes' version of Sleigh Ride on the car radio this afternoon, a close relative posted on FB that he already has his (obviously plastic) Xmas tree up, and today's theme on Nigella Express was "Holiday Party" (although I'm bound to admit I got a major giggle out of her cooing, "I just wouldn't want to get through the holidays without a big, gorgeous ham!").

But seriously, folks: can we take a deep breath for just one bloody minute and look at the calendar, please? Where I come from, November 8th is still autumn; NOT Christmas! At barely a week past Halloween, it's not even proto-Christmas, and here in the States we're still a couple of weeks away from a whole other holiday called Thanksgiving (which has already been debated ad nauseum in its own thread). What is up with the Christmas fetish? Is it the sinister influence of our rampantly consumerist media culture? Are our lives so barren and empty that we can't resist moving the (in many ways equally barren, empty, cynically commercialized) "holiday season" ever forward, until it really is "Christmas every day"?

It's barely a week into November and I'm already feeling sick of the whole business, which is a shame because I love Christmas: in December, where it belongs. I like baking, roaring fires, nog w/rum, Rudolph, Frosty, Charlie Brown, Ebeneezer Scrooge, and having a tree in the house as much as the next person, but November is not the time for these things. In recent years, my partner and I have managed to minimize the artificial trauma of the BHS (that's Blessed Holiday Season) by never setting foot in a mall, giving homemade gifts of marmalade and jam, and doing any other shopping online, but it's increasingly hard to deny the fact that at the rate pop culture seems to be going, Christmas will be starting in August within a year or two.

Stop the madness: just say no to Christmas until December 1!

I love Christmas and you can't stop it! It's coming! It's coming!

Yes, next month, in December, where it belongs. At which point I will love it, too (unless I've already been made completely forking sick of it)!

Yes! I love christmas, but come on people! Let's wait until after thanksgiving, okay?

Hey D! 47 more days until Christmas!!!!! I'm saying here because you and voiceofraisin love when I announce it. :P

fork, we only have 47 days. I'm so behind schedule. Panic!!!


I hate Thanksgiving, I can't wait for it to be over. There's absolutely nothing to look forward to until Christmas.

I bought some Christmas Dots today, so I'm pretty stoked on that. That's about as far as my holiday cheer goes.

I'm all about xmas. Plus I never took my xmas window lights down from last year cause I've been using it as a reading light. Lazy=xmas all year! I can take or leave Thanksgiving. I don't think I'll break out the xmas music for a few more weeks still though.

I.. I... was going to put up a "who's on their own for Christmas" thread. I'm afraid to now in case I see Des' balding frizzy head popping up at the side of my bed in the middle of the night O.O

I love Christmas, but I agree the hype starts too early. By the time Christmas came around last year I was burnt out. The reason malls go crazy is because they make so much money off of the Christmas season, a friend of mine worked in a store at the mall that makes 75% of its annual profit from Christmas. Christmas was the only time I got consistent, reliable hours when I worked retail. But my god, no wonder so many people hate the holiday.

I'm resisting listen to carols or watching movies until after Black Friday. I figure after that there's no resisting anyway, you will be assimilated.

Christmas? Nooooooo! Out, damn'd spot!

We don't go anywhere after Halloween without headphones.

I'm pretty sure that most of the stores in town put out the Christmas paraphernalia November 1st this year. I was surprised. I don't remember it starting this early, but I also REALLY love all of the pre-holiday buzz so it doesn't bother me. It probably doesn't help that I feel like I should have started all of my holiday crafting a month ago, and I don't mind it feeling seasonal whilst I work.

Also, not gonna lie, it snowed today, and I totally felt compelled to turn on the Christmas Pandora station.

I love Christmas, but I want the season to start after Thanksgiving. This year I made a decision not to let it bother me, though. It's mind over matter! So far, so good. It helps that I haven't heard any Christmas music yet. I'm just pretending not to see the decorations in the stores (and not going anywhere near the mall though, increasingly, that's a year round aversion.)

I hear ya! They like to start the X-mas crepe late October-early November. So that means it's Christmas time 1/6th of the year. Just wait till you "Jingle Bells" is harassing you as you are trying to read ingredients at the grocery store. And the Salvation Army bells...and the cluster fork of kids around Santa at the mall. And the obnoxious sweaters...I'm already getting a headache.

At least I can look forward to my favorite X-mas tradition: walking around looking at lights with a mug of hot chocolate spiked with peppermint schanpps. That's the stuff. Peppermint schanpps saved X-mas for me.

I can only conclude that people that hate Christmas cheer just spend too much time at the mall.

I agree, however, I'm happy because I've already got all my Christmas knitting projects (for presents) done. BAM!

Oooooh! I like the idea of a Macbeth-themed Christmas!

"You better watch out..."

O.O

*sleeps with light on*

*Hot potato, off his drawers, Puck will make amends

We just got back from hellmart, where Stuffmas cheer has been gathering steam since halloween. I am planning on going up again this week to get a couple gifts I saw for my husband, but only because we live in Suckville where choices are limited to 'get it' or 'miss out' ... I miss the city :/

Its too early for holiday cheer. There should be a law that no decor goes up until at least US Thanksgiving, if not Dec 1.

Bah humbug.

I love Christmas and I'm excited to get ready for it but there's definitely a line that shouldn't be crossed. I did buy 2 rolls of wrapping paper because I realized I can't buy wrapping paper online and the holiday shopping madness has already begun here. I officially cannot leave the house on weekends as of this past weekend - too crazy out there.

I'm the type of person who could listen to Christmas music all year long, provided it's not that terrible Wham! song that gets waaaaay too much airtime during the holidays.

I do have to say, though, that I feel bad for people who don't celebrate Christmas. Halloween through New Year's must really grate on their nerves.

I actually have a friend who got fired from a Hastings because she refused to wear reindeer antlers on the grounds that she had no interest in promoting a holiday that was associated with a religion she disagreed with.

As much as I love Christmas, she's kind of my hero.

ETA: I just realized that saying "I feel bad for people who don't celebrate Christmas" might come off the wrong way, so just to clarify, I feel bad for those people having to put up with the Christmas hype during the holiday season.

As long as we're complaining. There's no such thing as holiday cookies, holiday trees, or holiday wreathes. They're Christmas cookies, Christmas trees, and Christmas wreathes. It's okay to call it Christmas if that's what you're really talking about. Putting holiday in front of it doesn't make it any more inclusive.

I hate that the X-mas stuff starts coming out before Halloween these days. Retail needs to wait until after Thanksgiving!