Quick question for my American friends this morning:
When did Christmas become part of Thanksgiving?
Or, maybe, I should ask why the two holidays are merged…
Anyone want to enlighten an European-raised, Canadian person up here in Toronto?
The timing doesn’t impact us as much in Canada because our Thanksgiving is in mid-October which is due to the fact that up here, our growing/harvest season is a tad shorter than the warmer climes of most of the American States. But they do push Christmas stuff down our throats the second that holiday is over. Halloween, on October 31, is often a jumble of mass-produced plastic crap on shelves across every store here in shopping obsessed North America and it depresses me to no end.
If you turn on any TV channel as of November however, and you watch the shows (sitcoms, drama, etc), almost all of them have a Christmas tree front and center during the Thanksgiving holiday feast.
I just want to know why.
Thoughts?
Writer of Words etc 
Capitalism! Since Black Friday deals have become a bigger deal and companies are pushing for pre-Black Friday deals, it’s all been intertwined. Thanksgiving gets no respect around here, unfortunately.
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Canadian Thanksgiving is in mid October. Still, black Friday has creeped across the border… 🙂
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Oh no! It’ll be global before you know it.
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Well, I would love to know myself. It’s ridiculous.
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I think it’s absolutely driven by the dollar. Thanksgiving doesn’t generate the revenue that Christmas does.
I hate it.
Starting the Christmas season removes the importance of being thankful (a la Thanksgiving.)
Christmas shouldn’t start until Thanksgiving is over. No Christmas music, no Christmas trees, nothing. Bah Humbug!
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I always thought it was because so many families are splitting their holiday time these days between two sets of grandparents. Gone are the days when people would just marry someone from their hometown and stay put, and then see both sets of parents on Christmas day. A lot of families (like ours) live far from both sets of grandparents and that means that over the Christmas break we try to see both, which is a mad rush and we rarely get a good visit. I always thought that in the US, families give one set of grandparents Thanksgiving, and the other set Christmas, allowing for a “holiday visit” both places that is longer and more meaningful.
That said, I love the song “We Need a LIttle Christmas” which is from the musical Mame. It’s about how wacky Aunt Mame is desperate for some cheer, so is going to decorate for Christmas ridiculously early. But in the song, they mention that “ridiculously early” translates to “just one week past Thanksgiving.” So clearly, there was a time when the two holidays were very separate, and moving into the “Christmas season” more than a couple of weeks before Christmas was unseemly. The song is from the 1960s so it’s relatively recent that the whole Thanksgiving through to Christmas period became the “holiday season” so maybe the others posting here are right – it’s just about stores and economics. Sigh.
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Yes, I bet there is something about the whole ‘families living far apart’ and trying to make the most of it when they get together for one or the other holiday…it gets complicated when there’s flights or long care drives involved (and expensive).
Good point.
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I think that all holidays should be celebrated in their own time but the people that run the business think Christmas music should start the moment Halloween is over. I wait to decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving has passed. My one concession is eggnog – I love that stuff.
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Ah…been a while since I’ve had some, maybe this year I’ll pick some up at Farm Boy. 🙂
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I think it’s all driven by the retailers. I’m not proud of this but I may be partaking in some online pre-black Friday shopping tonight. And I also put up my Christmas lights last week. In my defense it was 50 degrees last weekend and there is a foot of snow on the ground now, sooooooo. I also may have put up some Christmas decorations in my basement a few weeks ago. I have no defense for that other than I really like Christmas. I’m going to stop typing now… HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🙂
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I understand the Christmas light thing – I too got the man and child to put some up the other day outside because the snow has melted and it was warm. Why do it while there’s some windchill trying to kill you?
In terms of interior decorations, I can wait until after St. Nicholas day (Samichlaus in Switzerland, on December 6, my childhood heritage tradition thing) and then do it for exactly 3 weeks. Xmas is out of the house on January 1 no matter what. 🙂
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Ha, you may be related to my wife! There have been a few years that I’ve had to fight to keep the tree up past the morning of the 26th. When Christmas is over, decor needs to be gone. But in my little basement space I do what I want… just don’t tell my girls I said that.
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Sounds like you have a man cave, or corner. 🙂
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I do, and it was much cooler before teenage girls started to overtake it.
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It gets worse every year. Christmas will be in July with our Independence Day before long. LA has the answer: $$$$$$$$
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I was not aware it had. Hmm…but doesn’t Canada have lots of holidays?
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Probably the same as yours. Thanksgiving is just at a different time.
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Also, it’s been awhile but I think my dad used to put the lights on the house Thanksgiving weekend, meaning AFTER Thanksgiving dinner. Thursday eat turkey and then either Fri, Sat or Sun put up the lights and stuff.
ALSO, it depends on if you have a real tree or an artificial tree and where you live. I grew up in the hot desert of Arizona so if you wanted a REAL tree you better not buy it too many days before Christmas or it will be a major fire hazard. I don’t think anyone in Arizona is going to have a REAL tree in their house as early as Thanksgiving. It will be brown and dead before Christmas. LOL
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Interesting. And this makes sense, of course.
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Our tree doesn’t go up until AFTER Thanksgiving. I don’t personally know anyone who has a tree in place on or before Thanksgiving.
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That would be me, too.
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I want to know when Halloween became a part of Christmas! I guarantee when you’re shopping for pumpkins and witches, there are already Christmas decorations in the stores, too.
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Here too. Ugh.
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Economics. Macy’s thanksgiving parade ends with Santa. Meaning now it’s time to shop for Christmas. Black Friday is called Black Friday because it was usually the day that retail business goes into the black for the first time in the year….
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Thank you. I must make my way to a Macy’s parade one of these days…
Still doesn’t explain why the Xmas tree has to be up for the Thanksgiving feast (to me). I mean, if you’re just now starting to shop for Xmas… 🙂
You hosting?
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Well…it shouldn’t be up till tomorrow at the earliest…but don’t get me started on holiday jumpers… no…going to my moms….so that’s a blog or three…
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