So, after wandering through Loblaws and Independent stores near my home, this time of year is schizophrenic since it is Halloween season. However, Christmas is here now. Christmas almost intervened into Thanksgiving. The Canadian Tire was putting their Christmas section in the Friday before Thanksgiving. Costco already had a Christmas section in September.
What gives? Can we not just enjoy Candy and Spooks for a while and then get to Christmas? Maybe start on All Saints Day (November 1st) or after Remembrance Day (November 11th)? I am sure my Dentist would be much happier if we ate more candy. That is a cheap shot, but a group of people must have a spike in business after folks eat those Orange Halloween kisses and rip out their fillings.
What is our absolute need to get to Christmas so darn soon? It is not like the ’50s, and 60’s, where if you wanted to send packages overseas, you had to have them in the mail for September. With overnight delivery to most of the world, that excuse is gone, too.
Why now? Better still, why so darn much? Why has a relatively crucial religious period (remember Easter is more important (sorry folks, those are the rules)) turned into an excuse to vomit money worse than someone who has eaten a one-month bad turkey?
Christmas Plans?
One thing you should have put together by now is your Christmas plan. Remember, your project needs to include the whole season, not just the day because money gets blown on presents and food, booze, and travel (and sometimes that is more than the presents).
Are you going to travel? Do you have a budget set up? Are you driving? What is your guess on how much gas is going to cost?
The easiest way to hemorrhage money is to start Christmas shopping without a plan. Get that plan together and start planning for this happy season (ho ho ho and all that crap). Remember last Christmas?
Yes, I am grinchy. Hopefully, my heart will go three sizes one day!
Christmas Wishes from the Past
I seem to do this a lot, so here are my Christmas wishes from years gone by:
- Joyeux noël 2023 Enjoy your Family, Friends and Festivities. If you are working today, thank you. If you are alone, it will get better.
- Christmas 2022 was after a rough year for many folks including me. Inflation, COVID, and dealing with losing family members was a bit much really.
- Merry Christmas 2021 was another COVID crisis time. Omicron hit and Christmas became much more closed up. Maybe the last one of these, but we thought that last year.
- Merry Christmas 2020 ! Do you see the pussy cat in the tree? An odd year with a Pandemic and all. Make sure you pop those Christmas Crackers.
- Christmas All Year Round ? Yes, it does feel like that these days doesn’t it? The 12 Days of Christmas Debt ? What the heck ? That isn’t Christmasy at all!
- Merry Christmas 2017 ! That was a year of fun videos that I found to help celebrate the holiday. Love that old CFCF fill.
- Merry Christmas, Highspeed Internet a right, Inflation at 1.2 and #MoneyTalk 2016 ! Sheesh, I couldn’t even be bothered to send a message that year, how Grinchy.
- Merry Christmas 2014 ! A lovely quote from the King James bible for that year. Seem to have done nothing for 2015. This year I even had a Christmas Eve post.
- Happy Christmas 2013 ! I loved the photos of every years Christmas Tree, very festive. Another Christmas Eve post too.
- Merry Christmas 2012 ! You see the hideous curtains we had in the den back then. That year we had the $150 Christmas challenge too.
- Merry Christmas 2011 ! The tree moved back to the front room and I used Google Translate to create a festive message. Think I was on French training that year. Also At Christmas Why Not Just Give Cash ?
- Merry Christmas 2010 has some very deep philosophical commentary in it. Must have been hitting the Christmas cheer early. Christmas Eve that year must have been a Friday.
- Merry Christmas 2009 and all you got was an NFB short? Not that bad really. There was also Christmas Eve thoughts too.
- Merry Christmas 2008 ! That was the year of the infamous Financial Advent Calendar too.
- A few last Yuletide Thoughts was what I had in 2007.
- Merry Christmas 2006 ! A quieter year I suppose.
- Whatever little money you have, make sure you spend it was my first year writing here. Quite gruff and grinchy.
- Advent, it begins again, is when the Christmas season begins
