<p>Well I suppose the businesses figure if the campaigns can go on for four years, their ads can be on for two or three months.</p>
<p>Two neighbors on our street have crews putting up holiday lights. It just seems cheesy and wrong.</p>
<p>Us, we take a family ski trip for Christmas. That IS the gift. It is just so hard to get everyone together. But I’m glad to have an excuse not to go to a mall!</p>
<p>Target began their ads about two weeks ago and Home Depot, Penney’s, Kohl’s, CVS, etc have displays up, some right next to the Halloween items. It’s a bit too much to deal with!</p>
<p>JustTryHarder: How big are your neighbors’ light displays that they have to hire a crew? We still have a beautiful golden autumn display here in the Northwest and I am not even close to thinking about the holidays.</p>
<p>Right, don’t get me started. Lots of bling and lights around us. People get their porches “staged” for holidays. We are moving soon though…</p>
<p>I avoid going to department or big chain stores, and I don’t watch much TV, so I haven’t felt the onslaught. I do look at the huge pile of catalogs that has been streaming in, and usually order a few things early by mail to send to relatives up north. Our independent local stores are pretty good about letting Christmas wait until Black Friday, and I’ve been trying to shop primarily at our smaller local retailers, combined with a bit of catalog or online shopping, which seems to work pretty well.<br>
It would really bother me if neighbors put up holiday lights and bling before Thanksgiving. I think I’d find like-minded neighbors and attempt a group intervention, lol!</p>