Comments on: Christmas Before Thanksgiving

Andy Rooney Chides Retailers For Trying To Skip Over Thanksgiving

[keysnpics]

Well, folks. I did a double/triple take Saturday in a mall, where the Nordstroms store had a large sign outside its mall entrance explaining why its store was not all decked out in Christmas garb. Basiclaly, they simply wanted to let Thanksgiving be Thanksgiving, and that they would be closed for Thanksgiving and open, with Christmas decor, on Friday Nov 28th. Can you believe it? Well, if you know anything about the Nordstrom family, it''s not a real surprise. A class act from a classy company. And I wrote them just now to wish them a happy Thanksgiving. I just wish Andy knew about this.

[vsmesser]

I agree completely. I''ve been saying the same thing for several years now. I worked in retail for a few years and know that they are always rushing the season. And it''s not just Christmas that is being commercialized more every year, they are marketing other holidays even more, too (Halloween, Valentines Day, St. Patrick''s Day, etc.).

[paiton5]

Wow Andy you basically hit the nail on the head. I truely think there oughta be a law that no one can put up decorations until the day after or the evening of the holiday. Or if they do put them up the christmas ones cannot be lit until thanksgiving eve. We are confusing the children. I shopped for a halloween costume only to wade through christmas decorations. Your timeing was perfect for weeks my husband and I have drove by christmas decorations on home lit up and all. I always say there oughta be a law. and to all those gripping women out there, I love making thanksgiving dinner and having the family together. But then again my husband and all the men in our family participate. If not by helping cook they keep the kids out from under foot and then they help clean up. Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving

[sioux4life1]

Well now it seems to be that the term Thanksgiving is alway explained away by white folks...The pilgrims etc and so forth blah blah blah. YOU Jane_Doe have a lot to learn on how the first thanksgiving was formed. AND it wasn''t 20 ravious natives neither. Take it from US natives that isn''t the story. Thats a load of sucatash.

[sparewiley]

I almost always agree with you Andy. I think you inspire us to remember the base values we take for granted in America nowdays. You remind us of the pioneer spirit that made this country what it is. I am probably the only one to disagree with a certain brushed over line in your segment.but here is my 2 cents (take it for what its worth)

This year is tight for us as well as many other americans. We planned for one family game to be shared and enjoyed together and nothing more. We were blessed with an offer from my childrens school to buy them gifts. My 11 yr old asked for a skateboard, my 13 yr old a calculater and my 17 year old wanted new "tennis" shoes. I beamed with pride at the non-materialistic choices.

You said "Shoes are not a Christmas present at any time of year."...

I say if more children appreciated a good pair of shoes over the trendy junk the markets promote, perhaps we would have more to give thanks for in November.

[juwboy]

McKKKain said:

"... a pilgrim might fancy a shag."

That Comment lost something in the transition between two nations divided by a common language.

"Shag" in British English has a completely different meaning from "shag" in American English.

McKKKain, if "shag" had the same meaning in the U.S. as it does in Britain, it would have been censored by CBS.

[mckkkain]

Posted by Jane_Doe2 at 12:13 AM : Nov 24, 2008

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And I''ll bet after all that feasting a pilgrim might fancy a shag.

[jane_doe2]

As a member of the other half of this nation, I have a wishbone to pick with you.

You said, and I quote, %u201C Thanksgiving is our most American holiday and it''s good because we don''t have to DO anything on Thanksgiving except maybe eat turkey and watch football. That''s why I object to the way it''s being squeezed out by Christmas.%u201D

Yes, indeed, Andy, Thanksgiving IS the holiday known for the do-nothing, eat-like-there%u2019s-no-tomorrow-while-watching-football holiday. But, guess what%u2026 the reason this is possible for you men folk is because the nation%u2019s women folk are working their turkey feathers off to make this happen %u2026(and Christmas is another story).

In 1621, according to Reader%u2019s Digest American Folklore and Legend, published in 1978: %u201CThe settlers asked their Indian ally Chief Massasoit to dine with them and were momentarily staggered when he arrived accompanied by 90 uninvited ravenous warriors; no tribal women attended. The result was not a holiday for Plymouth%u2019s five women; they had to feed 145 diners.%u201D

[jane_doe2]

Unfortunately, for us womenfolk, not a lot has changed. There is first the issue of getting the house prepped. The degree of cleanliness, of course, is a function of how many other people are attending this annual feast. If in-laws are involved, the cleanliness factor goes up exponentially. Special table clothes must be washed and ironed. Every-day dishes are out of the question, so the good dishes and glassware have to be located from some unmarked cardboard box and recovered from newspaper, or taken off a display shelf that requires a ladder. In any event, the dishes and glassware have to be washed in hot, soapy water. If special company is coming, silverware could be involved, and then you have a polishing job on your hands.

Next, there%u2019s the issue of the menu. Here%u2019s where the question of pleasing everyone comes into play. Uncle Joe loves the Jell-O salad with those little marshmallows, and there%u2019s no way you can leave out the green bean casserole or the grandma%u2019s special corn pones. This makes for a huge shopping list and careful planning, accounting for every ingredient while keeping all the special serving dishes and spoons in mind.

[jane_doe2]

The purchase of the turkey is always a consideration from year to year. Should you buy a fresh turkey? If you%u2019re turkey isn%u2019t organic, maybe your picky sister will be offended. You could, of course, save a lot of money if you just buy one of those giant frozen birds from the bin at your supper market. They have the little red plastic %u201Cthingie%u201D that sticks up when the bird is done. If you buy one of those, though, you have to calculate very carefully and, say, about a week in advance, when it will actually defrost in a brown paper bag in your refrigerator because you don%u2019t want to be stuck on Thanksgiving morning soaking the frozen monstrosity in your kitchen sink full of %u201Ccool%u201D water.

Do you stuff the bird, or prepare the stuffing separately? Today%u2019s women%u2019s magazine articles warn us that stuffing the bird will expose our family to a higher risk of salmonella (especially if you include a raw egg); but, on the other hand, Mom always stuffed the bird, and that%u2019s what our family expects. Is it better to stuff the bird with carrots and onions, cook it upside-down, fill it with mayonnaise, deep fry it, start it at 2:00 am, or use one of those plastic bags to keep it moist?