Early Christmas Card

I received my first Christmas card of the season today, November 15. It’s from the person who delivers the morning paper, and came tucked inside the paper. It’s a generic card, with an impersonal greeting, and not signed. He did however, include his name and address.

Rather than a sincere wish that I might have a happy holiday, his greeting is simply a reminder to tip him. Even so, I think it’s a bit early.

Stores around here started displaying Christmas items well before Halloween. Mid-October, most made room for Halloween merchandise, usually crowded into aisles. The emphasis remained on Christmas.

I know that Christmas is "make or break" for many merchants, especially small businesses. But I miss Thanksgiving.

Halloween provides a nice surge in retail sales, and of course Christmas is a major sales event. Thanksgiving passes unnoticed, at least in the retail end of things. I think that’s sad.
For so many, the focus of Christmas is on giving and receiving nice gifts. That’s okay, but it puts the emphasis on what we don’t have.

Thanksgiving means "giving thanks" for what we do have.

Among a multitude of other things, I’m thankful I can afford a daily paper, I’m thankful it’s delivered promptly each morning (even if he does sometimes miss the driveway :-), I'm thankful I have the ability to physically walk outside and pick up the paper, I'm thankful for a warm house to return to, I'm thankful I have the ability to read, and I’m thankful I’ll be able to give the delivery person his tip.

I’ll wait until December, however, to send it to him.