Christmas Before Thanksgiving

(CBS)  This segment was first broadcast on Nov. 24, 2002.

A weekly commentary by CBS News correspondent Andy Rooney.

---

One of the ways we divide our year is with holidays. The Fourth of July is the beginning of summer. Labor Day is the beginning of a new year. New Year's Day isn't really the beginning of anything except a new calendar.

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. The trouble is, there's no money in Thanksgiving for businesses. People trying to sell things want to skip right over it and get to Christmas.

Christmas is far and away the most commercial holiday we have. Some stores do 30 percent of their whole year's business in the period before Christmas. That's why they try to make it last a long time by starting it earlier every year.

Here it is four days before Thanksgiving and the stores are already all about Christmas. The big department stores have their Christmas windows fixed up. They're good to look at, but they're too soon, that's all. It ought to be against the law to start Christmas before December.

In the malls, some stores have had their Christmas decorations up since October. Kids are sitting on Santa Claus' lap telling him what they want before their parents know where they're going to get the money to pay for it.

In New York City, they put up the tree in Rockefeller Center ten days ago - 41 days before Christmas.

The Salvation Army already has its bell ringers on the streets, looking for Christmas donations.

Everyone is trying to make whatever they have to sell seem like a Christmas present. Shoes are not a Christmas present at any time of year. On television, there are unlikely Christmas gifts. How would you like a bottle of Pepto Bismol for Christmas?

For the past six weeks, we've been getting magazines with special Christmas or "holiday" subscription offers. When you open a magazine, these holiday flyers fall out like confetti. In advertising, "holiday" is the new, religiously correct name for Christmas.

I like Christmas presents, Christmas music, Christmas trees, Christmas cards. I like the Christmas spirit. What I don't like is the way people whose only interest in Christmas is money have moved in on a nice, non-commercial holiday as Thanksgiving.

Written By Andy Rooney

[leahbog]

Thanksgiving and Christmas are by far the best holidays of the year. All the <a href=?http://www.erwinsbestbuy.com?>christmas decorations </a> and all the holiday food make the season a memorable one every year.

[nelsonville]

Good for Andy, some of the big businesses need a lesson in American History.

[plar1-2009]

My family and I have always enjoyed 60 minutes, and we really look forward to the Andy Rooney commentary at the end of each show. In fact, my 11 year daughter always says it is her favorite part of the show and she will drop all that she is doing to watch and listen to what Mr. Rooney has to say. However, my husband and I were quite shocked and upset when he stated, &quot;Kids are sitting on Santa Claus'' lap telling him what they want before their parents know where they''re going to get the money to pay for it.&quot;

Sometimes I don''t think adults think about the children who are around them and the fact that they listen more than most think. In my opinion, television shows, commercials, and commentary should not reveal information regarding the true &quot;identity&quot; of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, or any of the like.

On that same note, children learn from Christmas books, stories, and movies that Santa is responsible for filling the stockings. Yet, stores insist on running advertisements in which they state, &quot;Great stocking stuffers....!&quot;

Stores/advertisers and Andy Rooney need to leave the mystery of Santa to the parents, and not spoil the excitement for the children of America.

[amrcnlbrty]

We believe here at alr that preserving and keeping national times such as thanksgiving the time to be thankful for what we already have is special. We also understand that this guy andy has also been a pretty big advocate for the one world order and the angel chip &quot;Tagging America&quot;. We would like to see more thanksgiving from the start to finish of november. Confusion with the erly holiday season yes way to eraly for that.

[pamelas68]

Andy, by and large, I agree with you that Thanksgiving is the most American holidays and that Christmas is coming too early this year. Thanksgiving is about homecoming, football and family, making it a quintessential American holiday. Who wants to hear Christmas carols on the radio a week before Thanksgiving? But to say, %u201Cthey put up the tree in Rockefeller Center ten days ago - 41 days before Christmas,%u201D implying that the tree is up with all its adornments is a partial truth. All New Yorkers and pretty much anyone who watches your rival, NBC, knows that the tree lighting take place on the first Wednesday after Thanksgiving. For the few weeks prior to the lighting and Thanksgiving, quite a production of work is involved to have the tree ready for this huge annual event, which too many is the onset of the holiday season. The tree was delivered about November 14 and for several days laid on its side before it was placed upright. As of this morning (November 24), I noticed the tree was engrossed in scaffolding as hard workers were trimming branches off the tree. Furthermore, the lights haven%u2019t even been put on yet. Yep, the five miles of lights aren%u2019t even on, so to suggest that the Christmas tree is indeed up isn%u2019t 100% accurate. Before making a list and checking it twice, pull the reins and double-check your sources and maybe pay homage to the tree before the official lighting and thank all those involved in the process of trimming and decorating the tree!

[cjhorgan]

Kudos to Andy for saying publicly what so many of us think but are reluctant to say aloud. For far too long, the Thanksgiving holiday has been nothing more than an afterthought, sort of a sequeway into the Christmas holiday shopping, a return to worship at the altar of excess all in the name of gift giving. What we should be &quot;giving&quot; is thanks for all the blessings we have as Americans, even during these difficult times. Instead, we fall victim to the marketing wizards who implore us to &quot;buy now&quot; and rush to the stores at 5 am on the morning after Thanksgiving. It''s time we gave this holiday the respect it deserves, and stop, however briefly, to enjoy our families and friends.

[kwalk44]

Dear Mr. Rooney,

Maybe you &quot;don''t have to DO anything&quot; on Thanksgiving except for eating and watching football, but the person who shopped for, prepared, cooked, served, and cleaned up that meal you ate had a lot to do--probably two days-worth of work, at least.

And by the way, please think twice before you go spoiling Santa Claus for any kids who happened to be within earshot.

Sincerely,
Kristin Walker

[colinstl]

I work in at a major department store in St. Louis, and I think Andy''s got a point here. We''ve been putting up Christmas decorations since before Halloween, and blending in Christmas music since Election Day, going to Christmas music full time this week. In fact, whenever I see commercials for Christmas music albums on TV in September (sheesh), my running gag is &quot;Get yours now in time for the World Series.&quot;

I think we should all stop and remember what Christmas is really all about. Linus Van Pelt--a cartoon character for crying out loud--summed it up best in &quot;A Charlie Brown Christmas,&quot; when he recited the Biblical story of Christ''s birth. In a nutshell--Linus gets it. And it ain''t necessarily a bad thing for us to stop and think about it for a bit as well.

[oliveburg]

I want to say that my wife and I agree 100 percent with Andy. He hit the nail right on the head about Thanksgiving. It seems that every year the retailers are pushing Christmas up earlier and earlier to make a buck. We beleive that Thanksgiving is a very important holiday. It is a time to share precious time with family. It is a holiday that there is no gift buying, just sharing time with one another. Thank You ANDY.

[drputt45]

The real turkey is Andy. 60 minutes is the start of Sunday evening snooze. Nothing better to do. And if you haven''t dozed off before Andy, chances are you''ll be gone in one of those 60 seconds.

Good night Andy, give it up and get some much needed rest.