Nov. 23, 2008
Christmas Before Thanksgiving
Andy Rooney Chides Retailers For Trying To Skip Over Thanksgiving
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Play CBS Video Video Happy Holidays, Andy According to Andy Rooney, Thanksgiving is one of the most American of holidays, but this year it's being squeezed out by retailers hoping to get an early start on Christmas.
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The only thing we have to do on Thanksgiving is eat turkey and watch football. (CBS/AP)
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
© MMVIII, CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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See all 37 CommentsSometimes 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.
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
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.
Good night Andy, give it up and get some much needed rest.
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.
"... 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.
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And I''ll bet after all that feasting a pilgrim might fancy a shag.
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
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.
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?
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