It happens every year, and ever hear it gives my heart a little twist – but in August???
It’s a phenomenon that we mark every year. And every year it draws comments about the timing. But this year really takes the cake!
I’m talking about the advent of Christmas decorations in stores.
I had to run a quick errand to Costco yesterday (quick – or cheap – trips to Costco are an endangered species!). As I joined the river of humanity making the circular walk on the proscribed path, I walked past a decorated Christmas tree and gently playing holiday music.
It was August 25th!
Christmas is still 4 MONTHS away!
I get that a lot of stores make a huge chunk of their money for the year around the holidays. I don’t begrudge them making a living. But holy cow! This is a new record.
I started thinking about how many holidays they leapfrogged to put out those decorations…
- Labor day
- Halloween
- Veterans Day
- Thanksgiving (and I won’t even talk about the cyber or black “holidays”)
What gets me even more, is that if Costco is advertising Christmas trees and decorations, I’ll bet people are buying it! I can’t even get my head around that while the temperature is so hot here in Arizona.
I get that Christmas has come to hold a special place in our culture. It’s become the celebration of generosity. Of being the kind of people who think of others first and take joy in giving over receiving.
It’s a holiday that lets people feel good about themselves and think that they are that kind of person all the time.
What’s missing? God. The reminder that we were actually so incapable of being “good” that He had to send His Son into the world to clean up the mess we’d made.
It makes me sad to see how God has been left out of the Advent. But not surprised. We have an enemy who loves to twist and distract. And he is masterful at what he does. Paul points it out right away when he names this adversary as the ruler of this world today (Ephesians 6:10ff).
So get ready for it. It has officially begun. The Christmas commercial season is upon us. At least in our family we don’t intentionally listen to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving… but I can see that while shopping it will be much sooner than that!
Until next time,
Dennis
