Haters gonna hate

WARNING!!!!

This post is bound to tick some people off. I've always promised myself that I wouldn't write about controversial subjects, but I am very passionate about this issue and I've decided to join the fray. I am well aware that I will probably receive some hate mail, death threats, and yes, even be defriended on facebook.

First, let me start with a few pictures of the subject in question.

PLEASE BE WARNED!!! I am told that these kinds of images are EXTREMELY offensive to some people.

Are you offended yet? Yes people, we are talking about Christmas. Apparently there are a lot of haters out there. By haters I mean people that profess to enjoy/celebrate Christmas but ONLY during the designated four weeks in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. There is no more surefire way to draw the ire of a Christmas hater than to casually mention that you enjoy listening to a few Christmas songs in early November or that you like to put up some lights before Thanksgiving. Seriously, I know some atheists who are less offended by all the Christmas cheer than the Christmas haters are.  And as a result of all this we Christmas lovers have been forced into hiding. There must be no mention of anything Christmas related before Thanksgiving, or better yet, before December. And then once December does finally roll around, it is no longer socially acceptable to be excited about Christmas. Ever. We are supposed to roll our eyes, complain about the hustle and bustle, and moan about how commercialized it has all become.

The following are a few of the most common complaints I hear from Christmas haters:

• "I get burned out on Christmas if it starts earlier than Thanksgiving." - Really? Do you get tired of football or basketball season after just four weeks. If this is true then maybe they should shorten the NFL, NBA, and MLB seasons to just four weeks to avoid burnout. 

• "If we celebrate Christmas too early then we overlook Thanksgiving." - Well let's see. Christmas is all about peace, good will towards others, family togetherness, love, giving, cheer, and of course, Christ.  And then, Thanksgiving is about family togetherness, gratitude, and love. I don't think these two holidays are at odds with each other. If anything, I think they are on the same team. 

• "I love Christmas but it annoys me to see retailers putting up decorations in November." - Just imagine how much more annoyed you would be if you went shopping a few days after Thanksgiving and there weren't any employees free to help you because they were all too busy putting up their Christmas trees and spraying fake snow on their windows. Having worked in retail for ages, I can tell you that foot traffic is crazy from Black Friday on. It just makes more sense to put those decorations up early so that you can focus on the customers in the weeks following Thanksgiving.

To all my fellow Christmas lovers, come out of hiding, crank those jolly tunes, hang a few lights, spread that cheer, and above all else, don't let the haters get you down.