Slow Down Christmas

It amazes me at how early Christmas has come this year.  It seems no one really cares about Thanksgiving anymore.  The stores are putting out Christmas decorations in August it feels like.  What's the rush? 
Have you seen this photo?  It is so true!

Black Friday ads have become 30+ pages long and stores are opening SO early, 6 am on Thanksgiving for Kmart!  I loved shopping on black Friday; the getting up in the middle of the night, the thrill of hunting for great deals, but 6 am, what's wrong with people?  The bad thing is, there will be people there shopping just to save a few dollars. 

Christmas has just become so commercialized and so overdone, it is seriously stressing me out!  The commercials make you think you have to buy everything for your kids or they won't be happy and you are a bad parent.  Or at least that is how I see it.

We have taken God out of everything in this country and it seems that he is slowly being pushed out of Christmas too.  The whole reason for the season is the birth of Jesus!  I think a lot of people are forgetting that.  I know it has even happened in our house.  Santa has outweighed the true meaning of Christmas, a fact that I am not proud of.  My kids know why we celebrate Christmas, but the "give me's" are crazy out of control.  I hope that I can change that this year, but it will have to wait till after Thanksgiving. 

I am very much looking forward to Thanksgiving this year.  My dad and step mom are having Thanksgiving at their new house this year and we won't be able to leave town with Marco's work schedule, so they are coming here this weekend!  My mom will be coming in for Thanksgiving like she did last year.  Marco has also invited some of his coworkers over Thanksgiving lunch.  It should result in some great times all around!

What are your Thanksgiving plans?
What do you think about Christmas becoming so commercialized?