Lesa Turnquist | Copy Co-Editor

I have always remembered the push for Christmas before Thanksgiving. This isn’t a new thing; however, it seems that every year the push comes earlier and earlier, with it now being the day after Halloween. Christmas music is already being played on the radio, and Wal-Mart has had their Christmas trees out for almost a month. Why is Christmas overtaking Thanksgiving?

The answer is money. Christmas brings in more sales for businesses. Thanksgiving, on the other hand, does not for most retailers. According to a commentary by CBS, some stores do 30% of their business for the entire year in the time before Christmas. If we, as consumers, buy into their ads, they’re going to keep pushing it so they can get more business. I would do the same if I ran a business.

I think another factor that goes into the early push is the change in shopping style. It used to be that you would have to actually go to the stores. It was common to set aside a weekend to do all your Christmas shopping. Now with online shopping, you can basically get what you want, when you want, and from where you want! This allows us to do Christmas shopping from our home at an earlier and more convenient time rather than waiting until just before or having to set aside a whole weekend to do it. When you see the ad from Lowe’s about their really cool drill, you can get it done right then and there.

Businesses are going to keep pushing Christmas early because they want to make the money at this heavy spending time of the year. Shopping online has also changed our access to Christmas shopping. Thanksgiving will still have its day, but it may no longer mark the beginning of the Christmas season. All in all, we have to remember Christmas is still going to come, even without packages, boxes, or bags. Because Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more (quote credit to Dr. Seuss). So even though Christmas is coming earlier, we can still enjoy the merriness of the season; gathering with friends and family, cozying up inside while the snow falls, and celebrating the birth of Jesus.

Graphic by Kyle Shade