I got mildly depressed today...

[MinnesotaMike]

I went in to Menard's, and they are already clearing out the Christmas decorations. The area was about cut in half, and they already took down all the sample light strings that were hanging from the ceiling. My stomach sank as I was faced with the reality that the holidays will disappear as quickly as they came. :sad elf:

[Merry Christmas Darling]

Hobby Lobby is minus a lot of Christmas stock, too. They have very few Christmas cards left, and not many boxed ornaments. And they're putting out the spring decorations! :sad elf:

I don't want Christmas to be over! :sad elf:

[ornamentmaven]

Walmart's Xhristmas section was devoured on Black Friday. They still have wrapping paper and bows - but few lights and ornaments!

[MinnesotaMike]

Yeah...I've noticed everywhere I have gone that the selection of Christmas LIGHTS is extremely picked-over. I wonder if stores just opted to stock less this year, or if that many more people actually purchased new lights. It kind of puts a damper on my plan to stock up for next year's yard display after Christmas!

[JollyElfDC]

I remember when I was living in Toronto. Simpsons (Now the Bay) used to do a huge Christmas section on one of the top floors. I used to love to go up there and just look. All the sections were themed to the style of decorations. Once around this time of year I was really not feeling the season at all, so I thought I would go check out the Christmas section at Simpsons. What a disappointment. It was a shadow of what it had been just a few weeks before. They had already started taking the displays down and what was left was a disorganized mess.Needless to say it didn't put me in a festive mood.

[Crazymike1965]

Ditto........

Someone else from my hone town
JollyElfDC. I have spent a lot of money at that particular Bay store over the years :)

I am doing my best to try and enjoy the week leading up to Christmas as well as trying to take everything in. I have to admit that in my effort to decorate for the holidays that I do not have the time to appreciate everything...

[SilverBells]

...My stomach sank as I was faced with the reality that the holidays will disappear as quickly as they came. :sad elf:

I get that feeling every year. The holiday season doesn't last long enough for me :sad elf:

[Sam the snowman]

All right people, I understand what you all mean but we should take a step back while we can...it is one week until the big day and it is time to soak it all in!
I have a few more things to pick up and a whole lot of wrapping to do but once that is done that is the time I enjoy best !
Knowing everything can't be more ready for Santa's arrival...

I like to sit up at night (after everyone has gone to bed) ,with the Cristmas tree lite, just listen to Christmas music or watch ,Alistair Sims, Scrooge.

Sipping my "christmas blend" coffee I reminisce of times when I was young and the excitment that Christmas brought to me.

It is something I have done for years and love to do it to this day...I suggest the same to all of you ...take this week and live it to it's fullest and don't let the commercialism control how Christmas makes you feel.



:merrychristmas:

[Mistletoe]

How depressing!!

Thanks Sam, for redirecting our thoughts. :tree:

[Sam the snowman]

All is good!
We only get a short time to escape lifes grind and Christmas gives us of that .

Last night my wife and I did a secret Santa drop off for a co-workers of mine that is going threw a ruff patch and today on Facebook his wife put this up...


Thank you to the secret Santa that made my kids Christmas SPECTACULAR instead of just good.....God Bless you and know that you have made my faith shine just a little bit brighter this year♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


It just puts your heart in the right place!:presents1:

[Christmas_mama]

All right people, I understand what you all mean but we should take a step back while we can...it is one week until the big day and it is time to soak it all in!
I have a few more things to pick up and a whole lot of wrapping to do but once that is done that is the time I enjoy best !
Knowing everything can't be more ready for Santa's arrival...

I like to sit up at night (after everyone has gone to bed) ,with the Cristmas tree lite, just listen to Christmas music or watch ,Alistair Sims, Scrooge.

Sipping my "christmas blend" coffee I reminisce of times when I was young and the excitment that Christmas brought to me.

It is something I have done for years and love to do it to this day...I suggest the same to all of you ...take this week and live it to it's fullest and don't let the commercialism control how Christmas makes you feel.



:merrychristmas:

Excellent post! Very wise words... Thank you! And a very merry Christmas, too :)

[MinnesotaMike]

I'm still managing to savor the season. I just had a flash of sadness in realizing it will be gone again.

[Mistletoe]

All is good!
We only get a short time to escape lifes grind and Christmas gives us of that .

Last night my wife and I did a secret Santa drop off for a co-workers of mine that is going threw a ruff patch and today on Facebook his wife put this up...


Thank you to the secret Santa that made my kids Christmas SPECTACULAR instead of just good.....God Bless you and know that you have made my faith shine just a little bit brighter this year♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


It just puts your heart in the right place!:presents1:


That's lovely.

[ChristmasFairy]

Hobby Lobby is minus a lot of Christmas stock, too. They have very few Christmas cards left, and not many boxed ornaments. And they're putting out the spring decorations! :sad elf:

I don't want Christmas to be over! :sad elf:I hadn't been in the Christmas Trim departments in a couple of weeks. Had look last week ... it was like a stampede had been through. Hardly anything left .... so much for the post Christmas sales as everything has been well and truly picked over already :christmastree:

[Moley]

There is that, and the fact that retailers are ruthless in maximising selling opportunites for the next event. A contact of mine who works in Tesco tells me that they will have people working in-store on christmas day taking down all of the christmas merchadising. By the time Boxing Day dawns and the superstores open it'll be all Valentine's Day and Easter. It's not unique to Tesco, as soon as the frantic hordes have stripped the sales clean like ravenous locusts, the shops will be selling flip-flops and summer wear while there is snow on the ground...

Mad, innit?

[ChantelleJoy]

There is that, and the fact that retailers are ruthless in maximising selling opportunites for the next event. A contact of mine who works in Tesco tells me that they will have people working in-store on christmas day taking down all of the christmas merchadising. By the time Boxing Day dawns and the superstores open it'll be all Valentine's Day and Easter. It's not unique to Tesco, as soon as the frantic hordes have stripped the sales clean like ravenous locusts, the shops will be selling flip-flops and summer wear while there is snow on the ground...

Mad, innit?

Hahaha, it's funny that we all have this opinion - that Christmas is over too quick, the stores move on to the next holiday ASAP! But then I remember this is the exact same opinion others have at Halloween or Thanksgiving ... they complain about Christmas taking over November the same way we complain about Valentines Day taking over January. ;)

[ChristmasFairy]

All right people, I understand what you all mean but we should take a step back while we can...it is one week until the big day and it is time to soak it all in!
I have a few more things to pick up and a whole lot of wrapping to do but once that is done that is the time I enjoy best !
Knowing everything can't be more ready for Santa's arrival...

I like to sit up at night (after everyone has gone to bed) ,with the Cristmas tree lite, ..... It is something I have done for years and love to do it to this day...:merrychristmas:I do the same ....and you're absolutely right.:waving:

[JollyElfDC]

Hahaha, it's funny that we all have this opinion - that Christmas is over too quick, the stores move on to the next holiday ASAP! But then I remember this is the exact same opinion others have at Halloween or Thanksgiving ... they complain about Christmas taking over November the same way we complain about Valentines Day taking over January. ;)

I was at the grocery store today and they already had the Valentine candy out. I fail to see the logic in this. Does anybody really think they are going to sell even 1 box of Valentine candy before Christmas???:confused:

[MinnesotaMike]

I was at the grocery store today and they already had the Valentine candy out. I fail to see the logic in this. Does anybody really think they are going to sell even 1 box of Valentine candy before Christmas???:confused:

Honestly...I don't think they care at this point. It's just simply planting the seed for the next shopping event. I saw Halloween decorations out at the end of August this year. The longer the exposure, the better the sales are. Silly? Yes. I get it though.

[Sam the snowman]

It's about the all mighty dollar!

[Sam the snowman]

Anyway...it is Christmas Eve, the night of nights and I am going to enjoy every minute!

Merry Christmas to all my All Things Christmas forum friends!

-----------------------------:tree:------------------------------

[JollyElfDC]

Honestly...I don't think they care at this point. It's just simply planting the seed for the next shopping event. I saw Halloween decorations out at the end of August this year. The longer the exposure, the better the sales are. Silly? Yes. I get it though.
Well today is Christmas eve and I just saw Easter Cream eggs in the store. I guess Valentines Day is already being shoved aside.:easterjump:

[MinnesotaMike]

Well today is Christmas eve and I just saw Easter Cream eggs in the store. I guess Valentines Day is already being shoved aside.:easterjump:

...and the train keeps-a-rollin'!!

[Merry Christmas Darling]

I'm happy now! There are Easter decorations at Michael's. :elf3:

[MinnesotaMike]

Luckily my depression was not bad, and didn't last long this year.

[Crazymike1965]

I am depressed until about January 10th when reality sets in and I have to come to grips with the massive task of taking everything down. Once that happens I want to get everything taken down as fast as I can...

[MinnesotaMike]

We've had SUCH a mild winter that I'm already feeling Spring Fever!!

[Moley]

It's not over until it's over... Winter may be late but hard this year...

[SammieDsMom]

We've had SUCH a mild winter that I'm already feeling Spring Fever!!

Me too! It's been in the 70s here for a while! I am just concerned that this means it will be another scorcher of a summer. :xmaseyeroll:

[ornamentmaven]

Very mild winter here too - especially compared to last year!

[*Snowflake*]

we had really interesting winter so far.Two weeks ago snow was falling in whole country except my place and cities nearby.Snow even fell in Dalmatia (part of the country on the coast where snow didn't fell for more then 50 years:eek::eek::eek: Those parts where in total collaps because they weren't prepared).I was really hoping for snow here but we just didn't have luck this time.

[MinnesotaMike]

Still no snow here. We are supposed to get an inch or two tonight, but it will melt tomorrow.