It's mid-November and Christmas is well underway here in The States. It starts immediately after Hallowe'en, if not sooner. And I freaking hate that.

Only children and idiots believe "more is better" as a categorical imperative. I find it's often the reverse. 12 days of Christmas? That's acceptable. Two months? Not so much. It's the same result that splitting the Olympics achieved - taking something that is special because it only happens at certain times and diluting that to where one is sick of it before it even arrives. I remember as a child being excited when the Olympics rolled around; now they seem like they're always here. Same thing with Christmas these days.

I understand the desire to drag these things out, especially when they mean more commercial opportunities ('cause Christmas is all about the Benjamins here in the U$A). But do people as a whole really enjoy it more? Maybe it's just me whose heart is black and only wants Christmas at Christmastime.

For now I am holding the encroaching tide of Christmas at bay by refusing gingerbread-flavoured things out of season and playing Santa Dog on a loop.

DONE! :D

I agree. There should be a law: no Christmas until the day AFTER Thanksgiving.

I'm not doing christmas myself. I'm not negative-nancy or perhaps I am but in my case it will not be some fancy thing. It's basically some days that stores are closed.

Looks legit.

Dang, I hadn't heard people complaining about how Christmas starts too early since I was a little boy. Getting all nostalgic here! :'-)

Okay seriously, you want to stop Christmas from coming? Stop rubbing it.

Everybody I know hates it when shops start to sell Christmas related stuff in September or October. And yet enough people seem to buy that stuff or otherwise it wouldn't make sense to start selling them so early.

I guess the only thing we can do is to boycot these things before Christmas time really starts. Which is the first sunday in advent for me (29th of November this year).

Yes, this "Christmas since November" thingy is kind of annoying to me as well, as I share the opinion that everything should be celebrated at its own time, and indeed this happens obviously because of commercial reasons.
On the positive side, the supermarkets have perhaps brought the Christmas stock already, but people around here don't decorate their houses (those who do at least, because not everybody decorates his home for Xmas) until the start of December, and also there's a positive side to bringing all the Christmas stuff early -we get to eat melomakarona and courambiedes (greek Xmas sweets that are really delicious!) from November (some supermarkets- like a well-known German chain- bring them ready-made since mid-November)! :-)
As for what you could do to stop Xmas from starting early... I don't know, maybe steal it or something? (funny thing is I never read the source of this reference, but did watch the AVGN version of it...)

Normal day in Lapland. ^^

I hear you!
I often get labeled as "Mr. Scrooge" for this, but really, enough is enough. All those Christmas preparations weeks before the day really get on my nerves: they are unequivocally commercial events, and people get mad to grab what they feel is needed to go with the flow. I find especially unbearable those excited as a squirrel on caffeine, preaching the "Christmas magic" like in those cheap B-movies on air during this period... sometimes, without even being Christians in the first place.
I understand (even if I don't share) the religious meaning, but today it feels only a commercial nightmare made of pure consumerist hysteria. I have seen people going almost mad to gather presents and make decorations!

I don't think I know anyone who doesn't dislike how spread out Christmas has become. I'd be fine with it if Christmas celebration started December 1st, but I went into a store before Halloween and it felt like 3/4ths of their stuff was Christmas-related. It's ridiculous.

Simple. Convert to our lord and saviour Cthulhu, and start celebrating Solstice instead. Do enjoy yourself by playing this playlist and check how long it will take the listeners to identify that something is wrong with the music...

Have you seen the movie Brazil, where every day is Christmas? It really feels like that here sometimes. With the same degree of warmth and sincerity, and only slightly fewer horrific baby-masked doctors.

Ignore all the crap. Don't make it about the benjamins.

In our house, we give a few meager gifts, sing carols, and enjoy our time with one another. We play with the kids, tell stories and have fun with one another.

We also go through our World Vision catalog and figure out how to spend $100 for someone. That's a lot of fun.

As soon as it stops being about getting a whole bunch of crap, it becomes so much better..