QotD/Writer's Block: The Season of Giving

The holidays are right around the corner, which means gift-giving (and buying) season is upon us. When do you usually purchase your gifts? What are the benefits/disadvantages of buying when you do?
Sponsored by Best Buy.

I modified the template because it's the very same question on LiveJournal as it is VOX-- apparently because it's corporate sponsored.

I remember that just only last year, or perhaps the year before, the media was discussing the use of gift cards extending the purchasing season to January.  They said companies were starting to offer sales into those first weeks.  This year, they're discussing companies claiming those cards in bankruptcies, making them worthless.  Ironically, one of the companies doing so is Circuit City, one of Best Buy's competitors.

Perhaps, with the economy being as it is, people aren't getting Christmas decorations now-- but are waiting until those after Christmas sales.  It's likely that stores will roll back the January sales, but the practice of discounting Christmas items in that month will probably remain.  But really, I don't figure I have much space to do so, and that will be part of my actual answer to the question, coming right up.

Why should I buy gifts early?  We're already struggling with space as it is.  Maybe you remember my joke about Hallowthankamas, referring to Madison Avenue's marketing as if the holidays ran completely together.  I don't doubt that some consumers want to set aside gifts as early as October, or even earlier than that-- but I don't!  Yes, I understand the appeal of trying to avoid the rush of holiday shopping, beginning with the day after Thanksgiving known as Black Friday, but I would prefer to celebrate holidays in the order they're given!

"To every thing there is a season," as it's written in Ecclesiastes, and I rather like celebrating holidays and seasons as they come along, and to enjoy them as they are available.  Candy corn, pumpkins, corn, and so on can be just as connected to Thanksgiving, so if I want to display them, I should be able to, even if that means I would have to hoard the candy corn that's colored in a more brown variant.  I choose to linger on thoughts of Thanksgiving until it's over even though marketing is rushing towards Christmas.

I reserve the right to sing carols that are connected to winter in January but not specifically to Christmas, even if the general association puts them squarely there.  So "Jingle Bells", "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire", and others that don't mention Christmas flat out should be able to last well into January and even part of February, until Valentine's Day comes along.  Even though I'm not Catholic or Hispanic, I can still enjoy some goodies from the other holidays of December.  I shop often enough at a Mex grocery store-- sure, why not?  If El Día De Los Tres Magos is celebrated in January, well... why not?  And there are novelty songs about coming down from Christmas, so I shall sing "After Christmas Syndrome" and "Yo Christmas Tree" with glee as the decorations and such come down.  Even if I'm not pagan or Jewish, I can still wish a Good Yule, Happy Saturnalia, Happy Hannakkah, or blessed Ramadan to friends.  (If they're fierce and plucky, well, hopefully they'll let me in on some of the celebration and/or observance ;-) )  And for cryin' out loud, I was married in December, not to mention with Seasonal Affective Depression, I should have a reason to look forward to the winter solstice!

So.. "the holidays are right around the corner"?  Hah!  "Happy Holidays" is a fine greeting, but it needn't be a politically correct term to include everyone's December holidays, nor should it need to refer to December ones alone.  It could be argued that the holiday stretch began with Labor Day, and most everyone would agree it started heating up with Halloween.  December holidays and gift-giving is all good, but I'm not done giving thanks and enjoying the fruits of the autumn harvest.  "Oh, but jak, it's just a question about when you buy your gifts", some of you might be thinking... well, I can blather on about how I ain't ready to think about that yet, can't I?  And I'm sure I mentioned in another post somewhere about the common aspects of the October, November, and December holidays...

Crossposted to LJ, itemid = 1020, security = public, mask = 0.