Following on from the ruination of Halloween and Christmas, and the displacing of Guy Fawkes Night (a good Catholic holiday – come back on 5th November for that one) and Remembrance Day, due to our importation of all the worst and none of the best of American culture, Thanksgiving is apparently on its way.
Well, the celebration of the Puritans, of all people, as heroes of the cause of freedom of conscience, of all things, is about as ridiculous an event as it is possible to imagine. Come back on 30th January for something at least in that vein.
But the introduction of a late November holiday, before which there is no Christmas shopping (or, indeed, Christmas anything else), is an excellent idea. That holiday should, of course, be 30th November, Saint Andrew’s Day.
Meaning, of course, that there would also have to be public holidays on Saint George’s Day, Saint David’s Day and Saint Patrick’s Day. And when are these islands lovelier than in the spring?
The room could easily be found by abolishing our pointless celebrations of the mere fact that the banks are on holiday.
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"the introduction of a late November holiday, before which there is no Christmas shopping (or, indeed, Christmas anything else)"
ReplyDeleteDo you intend this to be enforced somehow? I can't imagine shops holding back on Christmas displays of their own free will.
They do in America. They always have done.
ReplyDeleteMaybe, but that's because Thanksgiving provides its own shopping opportunity, as does Hallowe'en. We don't do those, so Christmas shopping starts earlier.
ReplyDeleteOf course, we invented Halloween. And it certainly does seem to provide plenty of shopping opportunities.
ReplyDeleteSo would this.
Have you ever been in America for Halloween? I don't much like the prominence it has here, but we've got nothing on them.
ReplyDeleteOh, we're getting there.
ReplyDeleteBut this could stop us.
"But this could stop us."
ReplyDeleteHow could a public holiday in late November prevent the increased commercialisation of Halloween, which is in late October?
There are only so many of these things that people can stand in rapid succession.
ReplyDeleteNot in America, where they stock up on Pumpkins and costumes throughout October, stock up on Turkeys and other Thanksgiving paraphenalia throughout November, and then go straight out and start on the Christmas shopping.
ReplyDeleteBut we still have a more restrained culture here, just about.
ReplyDeleteAnd Americans really don't start Christmas shopping until after Thanksgiving, which is the main thing for the present purpose. Some of that wouldn't go amiss at all over here.
"And Americans really don't start Christmas shopping until after Thanksgiving"
ReplyDeleteBECAUSE THEY ARE SHOPPING FOR THANKSGIVING!
That would do. It would keep the seasons distinct.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course no one buys anything like as much for Thanksgiving as for Christmas. It's a dinner and that's pretty much it.