Christmas Before Thanksgiving

Andy Rooney Chides Retailers For Trying To Skip Over Thanksgiving

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

A weekly commentary by CBS News correspondent Andy Rooney.

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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.

[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, "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."

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 "identity" 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, "Great stocking stuffers....!"

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 "Tagging America". 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 "giving" 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 "buy now" 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 "don''t have to DO anything" 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 "Get yours now in time for the World Series."

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 "A Charlie Brown Christmas," 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.

[sk83706]

Andy, Andy, Andy. Only a man would describe Thanksgiving as not having to do anything other than eat turkey and watch football...Who made your turkey, yams, pies and such? Did it just arrive at your door? As far as celebrating... ask a Native American how "American" this holiday is. You might get a different view to this "celebration."

[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?