how soon is too soon?

We minimally decorate our house. We do a garland around an entryway and hang Christmas cards from it. We put up our Christmas tree, and we wrap the two posts outside our front door to look like candy canes (red white and green thick ribbon). My husband and I have a soon to be four year old. Last year, we stared forging our own traditions like watching a Christmas movie or reading a Christmas book each night, focusing on the spending time together aspect of it. We decorated cookies, made dough ornaments as presents for people in my daughter's life. I just do not want her to expect huge gifts at the holidays. Not only is it unpractical in this economy, if I do have extra money to spend I want it going towards her college in some way.

I grew up with getting a lot of presents around the Christmas season, but even so I always did get a new outfit each year as well. We decorated a lot. My grandparents decorated the den, and the bushes outside as well as putting those plastic candles in the windows. My mom would decorate the tree, hang a wreath inside and I think out... We also had Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus at both houses, my mom made us one and I think gave a set to my grandparents, or vice versa? we had a store bought one as well. It should be more about the traditions then the present giving. I think kids need to know the meaning of Christmas as well, not just "oh I get lots of toys and don't have to go to school."

I have the added trouble with gifts around the holidays because my daughter's birthday is December 3. Last year, between when we celebrated her birthday with people, and when we celebrated Christmas with people she got a gift or more every week for like 5 weeks. She came to expect getting a gift whenever we went somewhere.

I don't see where it makes alot of difference one way or the other. Why do people dislike it? Does it hurt in some way? The store needs to make money. I enjoy their low prices and would hate to see them going bankrupt because they aren't making the money they need to.

It is not the local stores, the ones that would probably benefit the most from displaying early, that are setting up their Christmas displays. It is the big box stores. I do not see Walmart closing up shop in my town by waiting an extra week to put up the Christmas stuff. As for the dislike, I love Thanksgiving because it is not completely commercialized. I like getting together with family, playing games and eating.

I understand that my dislike is not really going to change their practices, but I can hope that if enough people show and voice this dislike that maybe they will wait until at least Halloween if done with.

I purchase and put aside throughout the year so it is not as big a financial drain the last month of the year, but having all the Santa's out and the corn is not even out of the fields seems a bit early to me.

We will decorate the week after Thanksgiving. We spend the whole 4 day weekend at my parents near Chicago. We go and see the trees at the Museum of Science and Industry. It is also my mother's birthday and we are going to see a holiday play. We will help decorate their house a bit. As for crafting, that is my dad's expertise. He does woodworking and stained glass. They do mostly handmade gifts for people. The immediate family gets other stuff as well. They (mom) goes overboard each year.