It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. And some folks aren't too happy about it.
Many of our readers will remember a time when we celebrated the fall and winter holiday season in some sort of order.
First there was Halloween. The stores filled their shelves with candy and costumes. Pumpkins popped up in grocery stores. Scary movies appeared on TV. "Monster Mash" was played far too often on the radio.
November marked the lead up to Thanksgiving. Grocers touted deals on turkeys and cranberry sauce. You could buy Pilgrim hats and other decorations-patriotic and religious-in just about every retail store. And of course we all looked forward to family, food, Macy's parade and football on the Big Day.
Then, they day after Thanksgiving, the Christmas season kicked off in full force with the busiest shopping day of the year-Black Friday.
That was then. This is now.
We still celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving, to be sure. But now it seems to many that both are overshadowed by the commercialization of Christmas.
It's certainly true that Christmas merchandise and music shows up in stores earlier and earlier every year.
For some time now, you've been able to go to many retailers in Texarkana and buy pretty much everything you need for the 25th of December, your shopping trip accompanied by a chorus of "Silent Night" and "Jingle Bell Rock." And you can't turn on the TV without seeing commercials with a Christmas theme. And then there are those Hallmark movies.
For some, it's just too early to be thinking about the Christmas holidays. Each year newspapers and online news sites from Los Angeles to London and around the world carry stories about the phenomenon dubbed "Christmas creep," complete with thoughts from readers protesting the rather obvious pursuit of Yuletide profit.
We get it. We really do.
But there is another side.
Like it or not, Christmas is a make-or-break retail event for many businesses. It's hard to blame them for pushing sales as best they can.
So while it may be a bit frustrating to see a rush to Christmas, remember that the money taken in not only provides profit, but jobs and the prospect of a happy holiday for many families all over the U.S. and around the globe. So maybe it's not too much to put up with.
And, we might add, the more of your Christmas budget you spend with local merchants means more benefits to local residents and families.
Something to think about while you munch on a candy cane and listen to Bing Crosby croon "White Christmas" before you take that first bite of Thanksgiving turkey.