Global Gimcrackery

So, it's not just here on the European continent. Christmas is getting an early start everywhere. A German friend who lives in the US just chimed in that Christmas displays have taken over the stores and display windows. It appears that the movement is pioneered by none other than Macy's (see picture) who decided to bypass Halloween this year and get straight on to Christmas. This suprises me, as according to Wikipedia, Halloween is the 6th most profitable holiday for retailers in the US. I made a quick trip to nordstrom.com to see if they had started up with all the nonsense yet. What did I find? A greeting that nordstrom.com is under construction. What could this mean? Possibly that nordstrom.com is being made over in Christmasy colors and lights? It would disappoint me to see this happen as Nordstrom has always made a magical transformation the day after Thanksgiving to ring in the Christmas Season. I am not a wild fan of the commercial Christmas trumpery and the frenzy of the season can get a bit excessive, but I have always enjoyed Nordstrom's decorations. They are always tasteful, stylish and very pop. The Santa at Nordstrom always has a real beard and convincing spectacles. I hope they're not breaking their tradition and getting out the Christmas stuff early.

While we're on the topic of holidays in America and abroad, I'd like to take this time to clear the record. Everyone here in Switzerland believes Halloween to be an American holiday. It is not. It is an ancient Celtic holiday that has been celebrated for thousands of years in Ireland and Scotland. Halloween has become part of the American melting pot of culture due to Irish immigrants in the 19th century -- learn this and more about Halloween here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween. The talk page is also quite interesting.

I myself can't wait to get home and do some shopping in the States over Christmas break. I have been scrimping and saving in hopes of having a bit pot of cash to spend while I'm home. And I intend to spend, in full American style, like a drunken sailor, comsuming to my little heart's content.