November 15, 2024 • 40 mins
Every year it seems that society wants to start celebrating the Christmas season earlier and earlier. Many citizens have started to see Christmas décor pop up in local stores well before Halloween and in some cases before Summer has even ended! How early is too early to start celebrating Christmas? Do you think retailers need to hold off till after Halloween to pull out the Christmas décor? Is “Christmas Creep” about consumerism or comfort?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's night's time with Dan Ray. I'm delio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Oh thanks very much, Al appreciate it. Let's move on
now to the ten o'clock. We got a couple of
hours left. We're going to do, of course, the twentieth
Hour tonight, and I will be looking forward to that.
I'm not sure what topic I'm going to throw out tonight,
so be prepared. I very may well do one of
my favorite topics. I think most of you know of
(00:29):
what I speak, but we'll see. We like to end
the week on a positive note, Okay. I don't want
to send you into the weekend arguing about the presidential
election or who's a good cabinet picker who isn't. But
what I would like to do this hour is look
at a tendency in this country which bothers a lot
(00:54):
of people, and at the same time, I think there
are people on both sides of this issue. The subject
is what's called Christmas creep, and what we mean by
that is that it seems that every year when you
start to go to the stores and you're not looking
(01:14):
for Christmas, but all of a sudden, back in the
I don't know, in the twentieth century, generally holidays were celebrated,
Halloween would come along and all the Halloween Halloween decorations
would go up at some point in early October. Now
(01:37):
those decorations, you'll see decorations, Halloween decorations up right after
Labor Day or even before. People used to look forward
to Thanksgiving, which is my favorite holiday because as they say,
it's about all all you know, football and family and
fun and food and festivities. It's like your fine f's
(02:00):
and there's probably a few more f's in there, but
it's it's the great holiday because it's all again, it's
about food uh and uh and and having fun with
long you know, relatives who sometimes you don't see during
the year, sometimes you don't want to see them, but
they're okay on Thanksgiving. No only kidding, I mean the
people who were all like that little you know mouse
(02:23):
mouse on the treadmill who just has to keep working
to keep the electricity on and and we have to
keep working. But now it seems that that Christmas used
to be, you know, once Thanksgiving was over, then you'd
see all of the Christmas spirit. And I don't know
if it's the cable news store stations that tell us
(02:45):
they show us. The tree that's going to be I
was watching earlier this month and the tree that's going
to be in Rockefeller Center. They showed us. It's somewhere
in uh in western Massachusetts, and it's actually donated from
someone's yard, which is great, wonderful. The tree that is
coming down from Nova Scotia, the pictures of the family
(03:08):
who's who donated the tree. I mean, it just seems
that we rush every season too much. And I know
that there's an economic aspect to it, but the holidays
should be you know, there's going to be an economic aspect,
but the holidays should be focused more on the spirit
(03:31):
of the season. It should not be so mercantile. I'm
reading a piece out of Forbes here, which which kind
of I think encapsulates what I'm talking about. And if
you if you can identify with this, great, If you
think that I'm just an old crank, that's okay too.
The articles by Kate Hardcastle, she's a contributor to Forbes,
(03:54):
the website, Intoor, the magazine. I'm not sure. This was
written on November fifth, and she writes in the first paragraph,
your cup of pumpkin spice latte is barely empty, yet
peppermin mochahs and gingerbread lattes are already inching onto the menus.
Halloween decorations come down, and suddenly it's as if Christmas
(04:17):
has arrived overnight. Yeah, I mean between Halloween and Christmas.
There is this thing called Thanksgiving. It's not a holiday
that it's great for the travel industry, but it's not
great for the retail industry because there's really not much
retail business associated with Thanksgiving. Each year, it seems like
(04:38):
the festive season starts earlier. I assume the festive season.
They're talking about other Christmas holidays. This isn't a mere observation,
it's a retail phenomenon driven by a growing appetite for
holiday joy. From Pizza Express launching their limited edition Christmas
(04:59):
Dope in early November to Sainsbury's I don't even know
what sainsbury is. I guess it's releasing a heartwarming campaign
featuring the Big the BFG, the Big Friendly Giant. It
is clear that Christmas campaigns are coming to life earlier
than ever. This isn't just a quirk of the market,
(05:20):
but a deliberate shift designed to align with the emotional, cultural,
and financial rhythms of the modern consumer. In a world
that seems to be speeding up and piling on pressures,
rising living costs, the persistent demands of work, and a
challenging economic climate, consumers are leaning into Christmas earlier because
(05:42):
it offers a rare reprieve. This isn't about the soft
glow of fairy lights alone. It's about finding joy in connection.
For many, holiday traditions offer an annual escape, and brands
are rushing to bring it to consumers just when they
are most craving craving it. Take Starbucks for example, for instance,
which has already rolled out it's Christmas twenty twenty four menu.
(06:04):
This is not just a new drink lineup, but a signal,
a cultural zeitgeist, zeitgeist inviting customers to pause, sip and indulge.
The early release place to our collective nosalgia, and is
backed by data showing that limited addition seasonal offerings drive
foot traffic and online engagement. It goes on, It just
(06:27):
goes on about all of these different businesses that are
pushing Christmas, pushing the holidays earlier, and I think what
happens is it may force us or convince us or
induce us to spend more money over the course of
(06:49):
the season. And I'm told because Thanksgiving is late this year. Obviously,
the twenty fifth of December is marked on the calendar.
Thanksgiving is a moving movie, being on a holiday. But
because the United the US Thanksgiving, as opposed to the
Canadian Thanksgiving is late this year, the Canadian Thanksgiving is
in early October. That's another story for another time. Our
(07:13):
Thanksgiving is always the last Thursday in UH in November,
and and this year the last Thursday is a little earlier,
a little later, I should say, which makes the number
of shopping days to Christmas left. So I want to
open up the phone lines. And does it bother you do?
(07:35):
Is there a problem? Do we cheapen the holiday? You know?
I think, in many respects the most important holiday of
the year, certainly from a religious point of view, and
oftentimes hanukkah Uh falls within the same season of celebration
a religious holiday. Do we cheapen the holiday? Or are
(08:00):
you happy to hear the Christmas music? And I have
to acknowledge before someone jumps all over me. I work
for WBZ, which is owned by iHeart as you know,
and iHeart I guess beginning today has gone with the
Christmas season. Iheart's annual holiday tradition has begun as broadcast
(08:23):
stations in its key markets today, meaning literally today, switch
to the sounds of the season, airing twenty four to
seven through Christmas Day. As always, the holiday hit mixedpans
more than eight decades, with Christmas classics from Bing Crosby
and Frank Sinatra to Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. So
I'm just going to open up these phone lines. I
(08:44):
don't think there's anything we can do about it. I
don't think there's any way that we can pledge that
we will not shop. And of course we now not
only have the mortar and brick stores that start earlier,
but if you're on the internet, I mean that starts
starts even earlier. Six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty,
six one seven, nine, three, one, ten thirty. Have we
(09:07):
lost the meeting? Have we cheapened the holiday experience? It
is the end of the year. I realize that people
love the few days off, the few extra days off
that most of us get. There are some professions, police
and fire that don't get holidays per se, but most
of business shuts down from Christmas, Christmas Eve through through
(09:31):
New Year's Eve, which is good. I think even here
in America six one seven, two, five, four ten thirty,
six one seven, nine three one ten thirty, the lines
are lighting up. Try the six one seven, nine three
one ten thirty. Those are better lines. We'll talk about
this until eleven and then we will be on to
the twentieth hour and I will figure out what we're
(09:54):
going to do. And if you want to make a
recommendation on the twentieth hour, go ahead, but it's got
to be a good one. It'll be better nightside right after this.
Now back to Dan ray Line from the Window World.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
Nightside Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
All right, so we're talking about is the arrival of
Christmas the holiday season? And again I realized that not
everyone celebrates Christmas, but I think everybody celebrates the holiday season.
And I do know that there are other religions who
have religious holidays, certainly in Jewish religion with Hanukkah around
(10:34):
this time of year. Let's let's see what you have
to say. I just believe that it's gotten a little
out of hand in my opinion. Deborah is in writing Hi, Deborah,
thanks for calling in. How are you doing to hey?
Speaker 4 (10:46):
Hey Dan? Yes, I walked into CVS yesterday and the
first thing I thought is, Okay, I want to pick
up some Thanksgiving decorations. And I faced with these white
Santa clauses and all of the candles and all the
(11:07):
paraphernalia for Christmas, and I said, out loud, what happens Thanksgiving?
Where did it go?
Speaker 5 (11:17):
I meanly, I was going to.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
Pick up some fifty percent off Halloween stuff, but in
the meantime I wanted some garlands and things because we
celebrate Thanksgiving in my family in a big way. But no,
it just goes from ZIP one to the other.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
What CVS did you go to? Because I love kind
of in your area. And did you go to the
one Washington Street?
Speaker 4 (11:45):
Washington Street?
Speaker 2 (11:46):
Yes, that's not a bad CVS compared to.
Speaker 6 (11:51):
Yeah, it's a good CVS.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
But still I just went in there and thought maybe
there would be some cornucopias or pumpkins are gone something,
turkeys or something yeah something, yeah, because my pit, my
windows and nothing, nothing at all. So when I walk in,
I was just singing at an advantageant Ignatius and I
(12:15):
walked in and the radio was still I said, Christmas crush. Yes,
and it sort of drives us crazy because of course
I was ordering on my catalogs today for Christmas. But
in the meantime, I still want to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
I just think it's almost like, uh, as you get older,
you're not You're not old like I am. But as
you get.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
Older, I'm probably older than you are.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
But the sound voice, we're not going to go pareog
as well as as as the years go by, they
seem to go by more quickly because I think, you know,
way second, it was just March, wasn't it. This should
be like feel like April. But no, it's no longer
that sort of thing, you know, the witted summer go well,
(13:05):
what happened to spring? I don't even remember spring, never
mind summer. And yeah, they they're pushing it. They pushed
the calendar, simple as that.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
And and to just get us, you know, to spend
mucho de naro. But I still have my my Halloween
decorations up all over the house, and I have a
flag for Veteran's Day on my skeleton on the door.
Good and then I will be taking some of those
down and put up what little Thanksgiving stuff I have,
(13:39):
and then after Thanksgiving comes Christmas exactly.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Exactly, that's it, and not in no time before. I
just think it deepens the whole. It's like, look, you know,
everything in its time, simple as that. Deborah, thank you
so much. I don't know how often you call, but
I love your style and.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
I hope you come.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Yes, yes, this is the first time, first time calling.
Speaker 5 (14:04):
Come on, and you've got.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
An applause from a digital studio audience. They're standing right now.
And uh, maybe I'll see you at the at the Brighton.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
You might see me at the Brighton CVS. Okay, thank you,
thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Yeap bye, thank you for calling.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
All right, good night. Six one, seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty six one seven, nine three one ten thirty
Is Christmas coming just too quickly? Too early? Again? From
an illiterative point of view, we call it Christmas creep
and and I that's my feeling. I don't get a
sense maybe of outrage but from my audience, But that
(14:49):
would be determined by the number of people who want
to join the conversation. If you think I'm wrong, I'm
not an old scrooge here at all. I love Christmas uh,
but I also love Thanksgiving, and I'd like to luxuriate
in Thanksgiving, and then we'll move to Christmas, and I
want to maximize Christmas. The best part about Christmas is
(15:10):
just the anticipation of it. But I don't I can't
anticipate Christmas until Thanksgiving is coming. Gone. Next up Florence
and Groveland. I wonder what Florence has to say. Hi, Florence,
how are you good?
Speaker 7 (15:24):
And you Dan?
Speaker 2 (15:25):
I will be surprised if you disagree with me, Florence,
but go right ahead if.
Speaker 6 (15:29):
You want not quite Dan, I agree in thinking about
what I wanted to say. They make it a little
too commercialized.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Well, there's always been that pressure, you know, by this,
by that, Oh yeah, right.
Speaker 6 (15:52):
And I'm wondering now because it seems to be more
so that maybe because because of all the online ordering
now that people do, like, yeah, everybody's doing Amazon, you
know whatever, and so I think maybe the stores try
(16:17):
and you know, they're trying to compete with that.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
They're trying to survive. I think that's a pretty good point.
I had not thought of that. I will tell you this,
I tend to not do a whole lot of online
ordering because Frankly, I liked when I'm going to buy something,
I like to kind of look at it and feel
it and touch it. I will do Casel online. And
the other thing, too, is I'm hesitant to to go
(16:44):
online because you're going to give your your credit card number,
and the more places you have your credit card number exposed.
I was. I was on the phone today trying to
get a medical issue payment, a medical payment through my
you know, your health saving account, and I talked to
(17:06):
a guy who unfortunately he's offshore. He's somewhere and god
knows where, pick a pick another country. He's anywhere but America.
So of course they ask your name and they they
then they have to send you a text to make
sure they know who you really are, and then they
ask you for the last four digits off your SO
Security number, which you give them. So this guy couldn't
bring up my account even though he had the last
(17:29):
four digits. He said, would you mind giving me your
your tot your whole SOL security number. I wanted my
head to explode. It was like, that's the last thing
I'm going to do anyone, anyone over the phone to
someone who I don't know. So that's that's that's the
downside of ordering online. And to be honest with you,
(17:49):
grovel uh a flor As. The less that you order online,
I think the better off you are in my opinion.
Speaker 6 (17:55):
Well, if you have an account with a particular place
and they have your INPU from when you originally account.
My guys have one store that I opened an account
with twenty three years ago.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
Okay, so you can trust them. I think you can
trust them. But but you know, when you're watching TV
and you see one of these things, you know, this
is a miracle cleaner. You'll never have to clean again.
Speaker 7 (18:28):
This marble.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
It will do floors and ceilings and walls simultaneously. It's
the super mop. And you're you're contacting sub company that
you've never heard of. That gets a little little makes
me a little anxious. Let me put it like that.
Speaker 6 (18:44):
Yeah, yeah, but I think you know the true meaning
of Christmas. I love okay, and I love to see
the tree or trees in general. I was waiting until
they light up that tree in rock Apella Center so
(19:06):
I can go on the internet take a peek at it,
all right, and then we have a tree for Boston.
That's the one that came from Nova Scoture.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yep, we're we're that one, that's for sure. I hate
to do this year to Florence. All good information, but
I'm a little bit past my break here at the
bottom of the hour, so I got to jump to
the newscast. You have a great Thanksgiving before Christmas, and
then you have a great Christmas.
Speaker 6 (19:35):
Okay, same to you, Thanks you bye.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Thanks Florence Talks. We'll be back on night Side. I
got one line at six one seven four ten thirty.
One line at six one, seven, one thirty. We will
talk about this, I hope until eleven o'clock, and then
at eleven o'clock we're gonna go to the twentieth hour.
And those of you who are regular listeners know what
I mean by the twentieth hour. Those are you who
(20:00):
are not regular listeners, stick around and we'll explain it.
Coming back on Nightside right after the news at the
bottom of the hour.
Speaker 8 (20:09):
It's night Side, Boston's News Radio.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Thank you all. Let's get back to the phone calls
talking about Christmas creep. Okay, it just seems to get
earlier and earlier. At some point, I think they're going
to break out the Christmas decorations about Labor Day. Let
me go to Bob out in California. Bob, welcome back.
How are you, sir?
Speaker 7 (20:30):
Yes, Dan, good evening, good evening. Uh. Respectfully, I think
totally differently. I love it. Okay, the lights. They can't
put them up early enough as far as I'm concerned. Okay,
it's okay, sure, yeah, how.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
Early you're in southern cal right for the most part, Yes, yes, yes,
how much? When when do you begin to see Christmas
lights in southern California?
Speaker 7 (20:55):
Well, I think it's the same like Costco right after
Labor Day, Christmas lights and decorations and all that for sale, right,
but the lights are starting to go now to your point,
like time goes so fast, like we both know that.
Like to me, like, let's enjoy it. And if it's
an extra two or three weeks of bright, cheerful lights,
(21:17):
that's great. It's awesome because nothing is more depressing than
mid January when all the lights are down and start
Like to me, you know, this is a great time
of year, and it can't. It's funny you mentioned iHeart today.
It's it's this morning. Deliberately. I checked on the station
out here and to your point, they had gone to
(21:37):
holiday music. It's the only time I listened to that
station is during the holidays. And I'll point out the
ratings for radio stations that play holiday music double from
their typical ratings. So I'm not the only one that
likes listening, you know. I mean, no, no, I get it.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
I totally get it. I mean, I love you know
Mariah Carey song. You know all I want for Christmas
and rendition of that, I get it. But what I
would have prefer to do is let them extend Christmas
into January. I mean little Christmas. Other countries celebrate. I
think their little Christmas is on January sixth, so they
(22:14):
have Christmas on the twenty fifth, and then they have Christmas.
The lights stay up until at least January sixth. I mean,
we tend to take them down because it's New Year's
and I'd rather have them start a little later and
extend into January, into that dark the darkest and the
deepest month of winter.
Speaker 7 (22:31):
That's a good point. Yeah, I would agree with that.
I would definitely agree. And by the way, all I
wanted for Christmas was a Donald Trump landslide, and I
got my present.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
I got it, There's no doubt about it. We were
talking about that last night in some of the cabinets. Elections.
I don't understand. I don't want to open up the
political can of wards, but they don't understand the Matt
Gates nomination. I just I think that I hope he's
putting him out there. Just it's a sacrificial lamb so
(23:02):
that the other the other nominees. I just don't get it, right,
I don't get it.
Speaker 7 (23:09):
I agree, I agree. We will talk very soon if
you catch my drift.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
YEP, I got you. I totally got you.
Speaker 7 (23:17):
I'm looking forward and forward for a great night.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
You body talk to you.
Speaker 7 (23:23):
Thanks.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
All right, let's keep rolling here, we got talking Christmas.
Going to go to Christine in Denham. Hi, Christine. I'm
sure you're a big Christmas person, But is it a
little too early as far as you're concerned to know?
Speaker 5 (23:38):
Yes, because like you can't even find like Thanksgiving anymore,
like decorations, like turkeys, the pilgrims like this. This is nothing.
It's terrible.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
I mean, Thanksgiving is still correct me if I'm wrong,
But Thanksgiving is still like two weeks away. It's on
the twenty eighth this year. Yeah, so it's nice if
Thanksgiving is over.
Speaker 5 (24:01):
Thanks Given was like big, you know, you put the
nice decorative turkey on the table and the you know,
all the decorations. It was nice and everybody came together.
It was you know, enjoyed it. And it's just it's
like you're just be coming by the wayside. It's sad.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
Well, you know, I think I think that if we
as the consumers and we as the customers of these
companies have to basically say, hey, you know, we'll we'll
do our Christmas shopping, but we'll wait until the sales
of Black Friday or all of that. I mean, we
had we had a special guest on last night during
(24:38):
the eight o'clock hour, was talking about is it better
to buy now or wait till Black Friday. He thinks
that people should wait, not because he's you know, romantic
in terms of Christmas. He thinks that the Black Friday
sales this year will be very good sales. So he says,
you're going to buy something in early November and yeah,
(24:58):
you'll get it at at a better rate the you know,
the day after Thanksgiving.
Speaker 5 (25:03):
So now the big discussion is to the stores open
up earlier for black products. For Thanksgiving, I'm like, no.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, why why destroy your Thanksgiving so
you can be at line at two thirty in the morning,
you know.
Speaker 5 (25:21):
Freezing to be with family and be thankful, you know,
I mean.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
There there were so few times during the year where
people can can count on being together, and Thanksgiving is
really the day during the year when because there's no
other obligations, there's no other pressure. That's the best part
about it. I keep referring to it as you know,
it's faith, it's family, it's fun, it's football, it's food.
Speaker 8 (25:49):
Right.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
Yeah, you heard of the four for H club. This
is the five F club, and they're all good f's
if you get my drift. Yeah, it's that Christy. As always,
thank you so much. I appreciate your loyalty to this program.
Talk soon.
Speaker 7 (26:07):
Thank you.
Speaker 5 (26:08):
Great weekend.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
I absolutely will. I promise you I've had very good weekends. Thanks.
Where are we going to go next? Okay, let me
go to Teresa in Lynn. Hi. Teresa, welcome. It's interesting.
A lot of ladies except for Bob all ladies this hour,
which is great. Teresa. Are we being pushed to get
involved in the Christmas spirit a little too soon or
(26:31):
do you disagree with me?
Speaker 7 (26:33):
I disagree.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
I think we have to have mercy on our fellow
human beings have had an awful year every year, and
Thanksgiving used to be in the origin, I think, was
to thank God for the harvest and being able to
survive in the new country with the help of the
indigenous peoples. But we're long past that now. Nowadays it
(26:54):
seems Thanksgiving us about thank God. It looks like I'm
going to live to see another Christmas. Now, let's get
the tree and stuff out. That's how I look at it.
Speaker 7 (27:05):
So Unio.
Speaker 3 (27:06):
It should last. Nobody should put it away till after
January seventh.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
Yeah, so let me ask you this. I love Thanksgiving,
and I really mean that. Okay. I loved Christmas when
my kids were and I still love Christmas, but I
really loved it when my kids were young because all
you know, you could buy them stuff, and no matter
what you bought them, they loved. You know. Now, of
course you don't know what to buy anyone, you know
(27:31):
who's you know, my kids are grown ups at this point.
But I love Thanksgiving. I think back of some of
the best holidays were the simplicity of Thanksgiving where you
got together and there was no pressure to buy gifts.
There was. You just showed up and enjoyed a meal together.
(27:52):
And I just feel we're losing Thanksgiving with all of
the Christmas decorations in stores this early. You don't buy
that though, right, she's still.
Speaker 7 (28:05):
In this hard light. Let them go for it.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Let them go for it. Okay, So let me ask
you this. Have you finished your Christmas shopping already? Well?
Speaker 3 (28:16):
I haven't, But customarily on Thanksgiving, after everybody's eaten, I
might say, listen, help me get that tree and then
just set it up. We're not going to light it
or decorate it, but let's just set it up and
get the boxes from the attic, and then you can
pat your hands and say, now let's have some more turkey.
That's all.
Speaker 7 (28:34):
That's how I look at it.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
So you're you're using your guests as as as.
Speaker 7 (28:39):
A labors, hands on deck.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
I was going to say, I was going to say
cheap labor, but that would be unfair.
Speaker 3 (28:48):
No problem, and it gets them all excited and happy.
Speaker 7 (28:52):
You nothing wrong with it, all?
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Right? Well, Teresa, I really appreciated kind of a different take.
You're thinking outside the box. Thanks so much, good night,
I will take it. We'll take good night thereesa. See,
that's a different point of view. That's what the show's
up all about, even on a subject like this, which
is intended to be just a little light Now, look,
as I remind you, in the eleven o'clock hour, the
(29:16):
twentieth hour of the week, which is now a scant
fifteen minutes away, everybody gets a hall pass. So if
you called earlier this week, even if you called this hour,
if the topic that I will announce after the eleven
o'clock news interest you intrigues you, you're not prevented from calling.
In the eleven o'clock hour. Everyone gets a hall pass, okay,
to call if you know, first time, second time, whatever
(29:39):
during the week. You know, we try to keep everybody
at one call a week. Sometimes we're successful, sometimes we're not.
Sometimes we make exceptions. There are no hard and fast
rules here on Night Side, except I want you to
give me a call and tell me are you concerned
about we're calling it Christmas creep. I think you know
the concept that all of a sudden you go into
(30:01):
a store. And I think it was Deborah who talked
about it from Brighton. You go into a store and
all of a sudden you realize, Hey, it's October fifteenth,
and there's Christmas stuff up. There's Christmas decorations up. That
troubles me. I want to keep Christmas special. Six one, seven, two, five, four, ten,
thirty six, one seven nine, three one ten thirty. My
(30:24):
name's Dan Ray. This is Nightside. Got a couple of
open lines here, so we'll finish out the hour strong.
Do you feel that they, when I say they, the
retail industry is pushing Christmas too early, pushing Christmas earlier
than it should, that we should even be engaging with it.
I want Christmas to be It's the most important holiday
(30:47):
of the year for me, holy day of the year
as well. But but I think, and I think some
of you have agreed with me, A couple of you
have disagreed with me that we couldn't be walking into
stores in early November and seeing every everything dealing dealing
with Christmas. Call us up back on night Side six
(31:09):
one seven, two, five, four, ten thirty six, seven nine.
We'll be right back now. Back to Dan Ray live
from the Window World Nightside Studios on WBZ News radio.
All right, let's keep rolling here. We're going to go
next to Karen in Leminster. Karen, are we pushing Christmas
a little too early? Oh?
Speaker 8 (31:30):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (31:31):
Every year I see it getting earlier and earlier. The
ads for Black Friday, I mean in the early November,
you know, and you go into stores, and I mean
I love the Christmas music and all, but even that,
I think they can wait on that till ne a Thanksgiving.
But there's one station in Worcester that has you know,
(31:53):
just now, which is okay, But I still think they
could wait on it. And I like the times when
you could there was no pressure to buy something before Thanksgiving.
You waited till after Thanksgiving, then you bought it up
and then even then there was no pressure to get
something right before Christmas or you know, I do think
(32:13):
we it starts too early. It's a wonderful season. I
love the Holy Day and you know, because it is
a Holy Day and the spiritual aspect of Christmas and everything,
but I do think there's not the commercial aspect too soon.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
Yeah, I think a lot of the spiritual aspect unfortunately
people miss, and I think that's the most important part
of But in my opinion, but it's just frustrating. You
walk into a store in mid October and you're listening
(32:47):
to Mariah Carey singing All I Want for Christmas. Yeah,
probably song, but it's just a little too early.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
I don't way too early.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
It's like the equivalent of showing up at the beach
at the end of morning Arch or early April. I mean,
it just is, it's it's it's the wrong time. It's
just the wrong time. And uh, and I know why,
it's why it's done. It's done to maximize the the
the pressure on us to bye bye bye, bye bye.
And that's trouble. It troubles me. I don't know. I
(33:20):
don't have it. I don't have an answer. It's interesting
most most folks agree with us on this one. Karen.
I hope.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
Like to see them stretch Christmas music out into January.
You Christmas Carol right after Christmas. A lot of gone.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
The Christmas season, well, we lose it because then the
focus becomes New Year's and it's party time. Minutes. How
you know, I'm going to go to the parade downtown
and uh, and then that's gone. I mean, once New
Year's Eve is over, the next morning, you get up
and you say, oh my god, another year has gone by.
(33:58):
I'm ready for the No. Thanks, you have a great
you have a great Thanksgiving. That's mine.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
You have wonderful Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2 (34:08):
Thanks Garin. We'll talk soon. Okay, let's go next to
We got Caroline in Boston. Hey Caroline, welcome next to Nightside.
Speaker 8 (34:19):
Oh hi Dan, I young listen your program. And I
completely agree with you because you see, I half Latino,
half Gringo, have European have whatever? And all people in
different countries they have Christmas. It's very important, you know, Yes.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Yep, absolutely, and in a lot of countries have I
think that it's called little Christmas that that goes into January.
Speaker 8 (34:54):
Correct, Yes, yes, we having big scene be before and
I go to the stores. I see all the advertising
and I'd buy this and buy that and blah blah
blah blah. But you know, we we kind of have
loss of what idea what Christmas is child be And
(35:19):
I think, like you said, when your children were children,
they you enjoy very much because they will take everything
back When then you have their children growing up, it's
a different any story, you know, it is.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
A very different story. I remember my kids, you know,
we will. We lived in a house that had two
fours and the bedrooms were upstairs and the Christmas tree
was downstairs. And I was always fumbling with the with
the the cam quarterback in those days, there's you know,
(35:54):
the video cameras that we all had, which were too big,
and my wife would be holding the kids the top
of the stairs because I wanted to get that shot
of them running down the stairs. And you know, they
they they they've woken up early at six thirty in
the morning. I'm half asleep, and it's get the camera,
get the cam corner, and the kids we want to
(36:15):
get down the stairs and and and then they would
come down and they would, you know, find whatever they
wanted to find under the tree. And I always, you know,
it was it was memorable mornings. I mean, it was
more fun for me than it was for them, and
for and for them it was it was always a
lot of fun. I just remember them, and particularly I
(36:35):
had a son and a daughter and they were about
four years apart in age, so when you know, when
when they were five and uh, well six and two,
the poor little one she had all she could do
to get down the stairs. But by time she became
six or seven, she was pushing her older brother out
of the way to get down the stairs first. Those
(36:57):
are those are memories that I'll always I will always
have as a result of Christmas. How do you like Thanksgiving?
Is Thanksgiving an important holiday in your family?
Speaker 8 (37:09):
Well, it's very important for me. I have my family
not only here in America, but I have family Latin America,
I have family in Europe, I have family in Australia
all over the place. But I am lucky enough to
be able to be an echaristical minister, and I had
gone through the studies and every sing else in the
(37:32):
church a part of being elation Bi Linguae social worker.
So anyway, what I do is I would really appreciate
it very much when we have a leader group, our
Spanish seniors, and they will come in and they will
(37:53):
have this beautiful Saturday to appreciate every one and toy
with the meals and everything else, and then we are
going to have our own private family thank Giving. And
we always shouldn't be so grateful. We Americans have lost
(38:13):
that fact that we shouldn't be so grateful that we
have family, that we have people who love us, that
we have good neighbors, that we have a job, that
we have people who is teaching, like myself to the
senior Spanish to learn English.
Speaker 7 (38:34):
You know.
Speaker 8 (38:35):
So, I mean it's of course, it's always something to
be simple for I couldn't agree.
Speaker 2 (38:43):
With you more. And I think that a lot of
us have kind of forgotten gratitude. And I'm grateful Caroline
that you took the time to call. Have I ever
had the honor of having you on my program before?
Is it's your first time calling?
Speaker 8 (38:57):
No, I have called you before, but I only did
in the last time, and it was very short because
it was only interesting to hear your point of view.
You're good and your bad point of view, and your
programs are fabulous.
Speaker 2 (39:14):
So a man for back Caroline. Caroline, I wish you
a wonderful Christmas, you know, both as the holiday and
as the Holy Day. And I hope you and your
family have a great Thanksgiving and I look forward to
your next call. Thank you so much. It's an honor
to talk.
Speaker 8 (39:29):
Yes, thank you to you, and I'll keep doing the
big job that you do for every one of us.
Speaker 2 (39:36):
I will try. Thanks Caroline, we'll talk again. Thank you
so much.
Speaker 7 (39:39):
Bye bye, good night.
Speaker 2 (39:40):
All right, bye bye. When we come back, you know
what we're gonna do. Brushes with celebrity. Okay, it's as
simple as that. It's my favorite eleven o'clock hour. So
I know some of you don't like it. I'll explain
it fully and jump on board your brush with celebrity.
Everyone's had them. I want to hear yours. We'll be
back on night Side after this.
It's night's time with Dan Ray. I'm delio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Oh thanks very much, Al appreciate it. Let's move on
now to the ten o'clock. We got a couple of
hours left. We're going to do, of course, the twentieth
Hour tonight, and I will be looking forward to that.
I'm not sure what topic I'm going to throw out tonight,
so be prepared. I very may well do one of
my favorite topics. I think most of you know of
(00:29):
what I speak, but we'll see. We like to end
the week on a positive note, Okay. I don't want
to send you into the weekend arguing about the presidential
election or who's a good cabinet picker who isn't. But
what I would like to do this hour is look
at a tendency in this country which bothers a lot
(00:54):
of people, and at the same time, I think there
are people on both sides of this issue. The subject
is what's called Christmas creep, and what we mean by
that is that it seems that every year when you
start to go to the stores and you're not looking
(01:14):
for Christmas, but all of a sudden, back in the
I don't know, in the twentieth century, generally holidays were celebrated,
Halloween would come along and all the Halloween Halloween decorations
would go up at some point in early October. Now
(01:37):
those decorations, you'll see decorations, Halloween decorations up right after
Labor Day or even before. People used to look forward
to Thanksgiving, which is my favorite holiday because as they say,
it's about all all you know, football and family and
fun and food and festivities. It's like your fine f's
(02:00):
and there's probably a few more f's in there, but
it's it's the great holiday because it's all again, it's
about food uh and uh and and having fun with
long you know, relatives who sometimes you don't see during
the year, sometimes you don't want to see them, but
they're okay on Thanksgiving. No only kidding, I mean the
people who were all like that little you know mouse
(02:23):
mouse on the treadmill who just has to keep working
to keep the electricity on and and we have to
keep working. But now it seems that that Christmas used
to be, you know, once Thanksgiving was over, then you'd
see all of the Christmas spirit. And I don't know
if it's the cable news store stations that tell us
(02:45):
they show us. The tree that's going to be I
was watching earlier this month and the tree that's going
to be in Rockefeller Center. They showed us. It's somewhere
in uh in western Massachusetts, and it's actually donated from
someone's yard, which is great, wonderful. The tree that is
coming down from Nova Scotia, the pictures of the family
(03:08):
who's who donated the tree. I mean, it just seems
that we rush every season too much. And I know
that there's an economic aspect to it, but the holidays
should be you know, there's going to be an economic aspect,
but the holidays should be focused more on the spirit
(03:31):
of the season. It should not be so mercantile. I'm
reading a piece out of Forbes here, which which kind
of I think encapsulates what I'm talking about. And if
you if you can identify with this, great, If you
think that I'm just an old crank, that's okay too.
The articles by Kate Hardcastle, she's a contributor to Forbes,
(03:54):
the website, Intoor, the magazine. I'm not sure. This was
written on November fifth, and she writes in the first paragraph,
your cup of pumpkin spice latte is barely empty, yet
peppermin mochahs and gingerbread lattes are already inching onto the menus.
Halloween decorations come down, and suddenly it's as if Christmas
(04:17):
has arrived overnight. Yeah, I mean between Halloween and Christmas.
There is this thing called Thanksgiving. It's not a holiday
that it's great for the travel industry, but it's not
great for the retail industry because there's really not much
retail business associated with Thanksgiving. Each year, it seems like
(04:38):
the festive season starts earlier. I assume the festive season.
They're talking about other Christmas holidays. This isn't a mere observation,
it's a retail phenomenon driven by a growing appetite for
holiday joy. From Pizza Express launching their limited edition Christmas
(04:59):
Dope in early November to Sainsbury's I don't even know
what sainsbury is. I guess it's releasing a heartwarming campaign
featuring the Big the BFG, the Big Friendly Giant. It
is clear that Christmas campaigns are coming to life earlier
than ever. This isn't just a quirk of the market,
(05:20):
but a deliberate shift designed to align with the emotional, cultural,
and financial rhythms of the modern consumer. In a world
that seems to be speeding up and piling on pressures,
rising living costs, the persistent demands of work, and a
challenging economic climate, consumers are leaning into Christmas earlier because
(05:42):
it offers a rare reprieve. This isn't about the soft
glow of fairy lights alone. It's about finding joy in connection.
For many, holiday traditions offer an annual escape, and brands
are rushing to bring it to consumers just when they
are most craving craving it. Take Starbucks for example, for instance,
which has already rolled out it's Christmas twenty twenty four menu.
(06:04):
This is not just a new drink lineup, but a signal,
a cultural zeitgeist, zeitgeist inviting customers to pause, sip and indulge.
The early release place to our collective nosalgia, and is
backed by data showing that limited addition seasonal offerings drive
foot traffic and online engagement. It goes on, It just
(06:27):
goes on about all of these different businesses that are
pushing Christmas, pushing the holidays earlier, and I think what
happens is it may force us or convince us or
induce us to spend more money over the course of
(06:49):
the season. And I'm told because Thanksgiving is late this year. Obviously,
the twenty fifth of December is marked on the calendar.
Thanksgiving is a moving movie, being on a holiday. But
because the United the US Thanksgiving, as opposed to the
Canadian Thanksgiving is late this year, the Canadian Thanksgiving is
in early October. That's another story for another time. Our
(07:13):
Thanksgiving is always the last Thursday in UH in November,
and and this year the last Thursday is a little earlier,
a little later, I should say, which makes the number
of shopping days to Christmas left. So I want to
open up the phone lines. And does it bother you do?
(07:35):
Is there a problem? Do we cheapen the holiday? You know?
I think, in many respects the most important holiday of
the year, certainly from a religious point of view, and
oftentimes hanukkah Uh falls within the same season of celebration
a religious holiday. Do we cheapen the holiday? Or are
(08:00):
you happy to hear the Christmas music? And I have
to acknowledge before someone jumps all over me. I work
for WBZ, which is owned by iHeart as you know,
and iHeart I guess beginning today has gone with the
Christmas season. Iheart's annual holiday tradition has begun as broadcast
(08:23):
stations in its key markets today, meaning literally today, switch
to the sounds of the season, airing twenty four to
seven through Christmas Day. As always, the holiday hit mixedpans
more than eight decades, with Christmas classics from Bing Crosby
and Frank Sinatra to Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. So
I'm just going to open up these phone lines. I
(08:44):
don't think there's anything we can do about it. I
don't think there's any way that we can pledge that
we will not shop. And of course we now not
only have the mortar and brick stores that start earlier,
but if you're on the internet, I mean that starts
starts even earlier. Six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty,
six one seven, nine, three, one, ten thirty. Have we
(09:07):
lost the meeting? Have we cheapened the holiday experience? It
is the end of the year. I realize that people
love the few days off, the few extra days off
that most of us get. There are some professions, police
and fire that don't get holidays per se, but most
of business shuts down from Christmas, Christmas Eve through through
(09:31):
New Year's Eve, which is good. I think even here
in America six one seven, two, five, four ten thirty,
six one seven, nine three one ten thirty, the lines
are lighting up. Try the six one seven, nine three
one ten thirty. Those are better lines. We'll talk about
this until eleven and then we will be on to
the twentieth hour and I will figure out what we're
(09:54):
going to do. And if you want to make a
recommendation on the twentieth hour, go ahead, but it's got
to be a good one. It'll be better nightside right after this.
Now back to Dan ray Line from the Window World.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
Nightside Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
All right, so we're talking about is the arrival of
Christmas the holiday season? And again I realized that not
everyone celebrates Christmas, but I think everybody celebrates the holiday season.
And I do know that there are other religions who
have religious holidays, certainly in Jewish religion with Hanukkah around
(10:34):
this time of year. Let's let's see what you have
to say. I just believe that it's gotten a little
out of hand in my opinion. Deborah is in writing Hi, Deborah,
thanks for calling in. How are you doing to hey?
Speaker 4 (10:46):
Hey Dan? Yes, I walked into CVS yesterday and the
first thing I thought is, Okay, I want to pick
up some Thanksgiving decorations. And I faced with these white
Santa clauses and all of the candles and all the
(11:07):
paraphernalia for Christmas, and I said, out loud, what happens Thanksgiving?
Where did it go?
Speaker 5 (11:17):
I meanly, I was going to.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
Pick up some fifty percent off Halloween stuff, but in
the meantime I wanted some garlands and things because we
celebrate Thanksgiving in my family in a big way. But no,
it just goes from ZIP one to the other.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
What CVS did you go to? Because I love kind
of in your area. And did you go to the
one Washington Street?
Speaker 4 (11:45):
Washington Street?
Speaker 2 (11:46):
Yes, that's not a bad CVS compared to.
Speaker 6 (11:51):
Yeah, it's a good CVS.
Speaker 4 (11:52):
But still I just went in there and thought maybe
there would be some cornucopias or pumpkins are gone something,
turkeys or something yeah something, yeah, because my pit, my
windows and nothing, nothing at all. So when I walk in,
I was just singing at an advantageant Ignatius and I
(12:15):
walked in and the radio was still I said, Christmas crush. Yes,
and it sort of drives us crazy because of course
I was ordering on my catalogs today for Christmas. But
in the meantime, I still want to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
I just think it's almost like, uh, as you get older,
you're not You're not old like I am. But as
you get.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
Older, I'm probably older than you are.
Speaker 2 (12:45):
But the sound voice, we're not going to go pareog
as well as as as the years go by, they
seem to go by more quickly because I think, you know,
way second, it was just March, wasn't it. This should
be like feel like April. But no, it's no longer
that sort of thing, you know, the witted summer go well,
(13:05):
what happened to spring? I don't even remember spring, never
mind summer. And yeah, they they're pushing it. They pushed
the calendar, simple as that.
Speaker 4 (13:16):
And and to just get us, you know, to spend
mucho de naro. But I still have my my Halloween
decorations up all over the house, and I have a
flag for Veteran's Day on my skeleton on the door.
Good and then I will be taking some of those
down and put up what little Thanksgiving stuff I have,
(13:39):
and then after Thanksgiving comes Christmas exactly.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Exactly, that's it, and not in no time before. I
just think it deepens the whole. It's like, look, you know,
everything in its time, simple as that. Deborah, thank you
so much. I don't know how often you call, but
I love your style and.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
I hope you come.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Yes, yes, this is the first time, first time calling.
Speaker 5 (14:04):
Come on, and you've got.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
An applause from a digital studio audience. They're standing right now.
And uh, maybe I'll see you at the at the Brighton.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
You might see me at the Brighton CVS. Okay, thank you,
thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Yeap bye, thank you for calling.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
All right, good night. Six one, seven, two, five, four,
ten thirty six one seven, nine three one ten thirty
Is Christmas coming just too quickly? Too early? Again? From
an illiterative point of view, we call it Christmas creep
and and I that's my feeling. I don't get a
sense maybe of outrage but from my audience, But that
(14:49):
would be determined by the number of people who want
to join the conversation. If you think I'm wrong, I'm
not an old scrooge here at all. I love Christmas uh,
but I also love Thanksgiving, and I'd like to luxuriate
in Thanksgiving, and then we'll move to Christmas, and I
want to maximize Christmas. The best part about Christmas is
(15:10):
just the anticipation of it. But I don't I can't
anticipate Christmas until Thanksgiving is coming. Gone. Next up Florence
and Groveland. I wonder what Florence has to say. Hi, Florence,
how are you good?
Speaker 7 (15:24):
And you Dan?
Speaker 2 (15:25):
I will be surprised if you disagree with me, Florence,
but go right ahead if.
Speaker 6 (15:29):
You want not quite Dan, I agree in thinking about
what I wanted to say. They make it a little
too commercialized.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Well, there's always been that pressure, you know, by this,
by that, Oh yeah, right.
Speaker 6 (15:52):
And I'm wondering now because it seems to be more
so that maybe because because of all the online ordering
now that people do, like, yeah, everybody's doing Amazon, you
know whatever, and so I think maybe the stores try
(16:17):
and you know, they're trying to compete with that.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
They're trying to survive. I think that's a pretty good point.
I had not thought of that. I will tell you this,
I tend to not do a whole lot of online
ordering because Frankly, I liked when I'm going to buy something,
I like to kind of look at it and feel
it and touch it. I will do Casel online. And
the other thing, too, is I'm hesitant to to go
(16:44):
online because you're going to give your your credit card number,
and the more places you have your credit card number exposed.
I was. I was on the phone today trying to
get a medical issue payment, a medical payment through my
you know, your health saving account, and I talked to
(17:06):
a guy who unfortunately he's offshore. He's somewhere and god
knows where, pick a pick another country. He's anywhere but America.
So of course they ask your name and they they
then they have to send you a text to make
sure they know who you really are, and then they
ask you for the last four digits off your SO
Security number, which you give them. So this guy couldn't
bring up my account even though he had the last
(17:29):
four digits. He said, would you mind giving me your
your tot your whole SOL security number. I wanted my
head to explode. It was like, that's the last thing
I'm going to do anyone, anyone over the phone to
someone who I don't know. So that's that's that's the
downside of ordering online. And to be honest with you,
(17:49):
grovel uh a flor As. The less that you order online,
I think the better off you are in my opinion.
Speaker 6 (17:55):
Well, if you have an account with a particular place
and they have your INPU from when you originally account.
My guys have one store that I opened an account
with twenty three years ago.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
Okay, so you can trust them. I think you can
trust them. But but you know, when you're watching TV
and you see one of these things, you know, this
is a miracle cleaner. You'll never have to clean again.
Speaker 7 (18:28):
This marble.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
It will do floors and ceilings and walls simultaneously. It's
the super mop. And you're you're contacting sub company that
you've never heard of. That gets a little little makes
me a little anxious. Let me put it like that.
Speaker 6 (18:44):
Yeah, yeah, but I think you know the true meaning
of Christmas. I love okay, and I love to see
the tree or trees in general. I was waiting until
they light up that tree in rock Apella Center so
(19:06):
I can go on the internet take a peek at it,
all right, and then we have a tree for Boston.
That's the one that came from Nova Scoture.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Yep, we're we're that one, that's for sure. I hate
to do this year to Florence. All good information, but
I'm a little bit past my break here at the
bottom of the hour, so I got to jump to
the newscast. You have a great Thanksgiving before Christmas, and
then you have a great Christmas.
Speaker 6 (19:35):
Okay, same to you, Thanks you bye.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Thanks Florence Talks. We'll be back on night Side. I
got one line at six one seven four ten thirty.
One line at six one, seven, one thirty. We will
talk about this, I hope until eleven o'clock, and then
at eleven o'clock we're gonna go to the twentieth hour.
And those of you who are regular listeners know what
I mean by the twentieth hour. Those are you who
(20:00):
are not regular listeners, stick around and we'll explain it.
Coming back on Nightside right after the news at the
bottom of the hour.
Speaker 8 (20:09):
It's night Side, Boston's News Radio.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Thank you all. Let's get back to the phone calls
talking about Christmas creep. Okay, it just seems to get
earlier and earlier. At some point, I think they're going
to break out the Christmas decorations about Labor Day. Let
me go to Bob out in California. Bob, welcome back.
How are you, sir?
Speaker 7 (20:30):
Yes, Dan, good evening, good evening. Uh. Respectfully, I think
totally differently. I love it. Okay, the lights. They can't
put them up early enough as far as I'm concerned. Okay,
it's okay, sure, yeah, how.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
Early you're in southern cal right for the most part, Yes, yes, yes,
how much? When when do you begin to see Christmas
lights in southern California?
Speaker 7 (20:55):
Well, I think it's the same like Costco right after
Labor Day, Christmas lights and decorations and all that for sale, right,
but the lights are starting to go now to your point,
like time goes so fast, like we both know that.
Like to me, like, let's enjoy it. And if it's
an extra two or three weeks of bright, cheerful lights,
(21:17):
that's great. It's awesome because nothing is more depressing than
mid January when all the lights are down and start
Like to me, you know, this is a great time
of year, and it can't. It's funny you mentioned iHeart today.
It's it's this morning. Deliberately. I checked on the station
out here and to your point, they had gone to
(21:37):
holiday music. It's the only time I listened to that
station is during the holidays. And I'll point out the
ratings for radio stations that play holiday music double from
their typical ratings. So I'm not the only one that
likes listening, you know. I mean, no, no, I get it.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
I totally get it. I mean, I love you know
Mariah Carey song. You know all I want for Christmas
and rendition of that, I get it. But what I
would have prefer to do is let them extend Christmas
into January. I mean little Christmas. Other countries celebrate. I
think their little Christmas is on January sixth, so they
(22:14):
have Christmas on the twenty fifth, and then they have Christmas.
The lights stay up until at least January sixth. I mean,
we tend to take them down because it's New Year's
and I'd rather have them start a little later and
extend into January, into that dark the darkest and the
deepest month of winter.
Speaker 7 (22:31):
That's a good point. Yeah, I would agree with that.
I would definitely agree. And by the way, all I
wanted for Christmas was a Donald Trump landslide, and I
got my present.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
I got it, There's no doubt about it. We were
talking about that last night in some of the cabinets. Elections.
I don't understand. I don't want to open up the
political can of wards, but they don't understand the Matt
Gates nomination. I just I think that I hope he's
putting him out there. Just it's a sacrificial lamb so
(23:02):
that the other the other nominees. I just don't get it, right,
I don't get it.
Speaker 7 (23:09):
I agree, I agree. We will talk very soon if
you catch my drift.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
YEP, I got you. I totally got you.
Speaker 7 (23:17):
I'm looking forward and forward for a great night.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
You body talk to you.
Speaker 7 (23:23):
Thanks.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
All right, let's keep rolling here, we got talking Christmas.
Going to go to Christine in Denham. Hi, Christine. I'm
sure you're a big Christmas person, But is it a
little too early as far as you're concerned to know?
Speaker 5 (23:38):
Yes, because like you can't even find like Thanksgiving anymore,
like decorations, like turkeys, the pilgrims like this. This is nothing.
It's terrible.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
I mean, Thanksgiving is still correct me if I'm wrong,
But Thanksgiving is still like two weeks away. It's on
the twenty eighth this year. Yeah, so it's nice if
Thanksgiving is over.
Speaker 5 (24:01):
Thanks Given was like big, you know, you put the
nice decorative turkey on the table and the you know,
all the decorations. It was nice and everybody came together.
It was you know, enjoyed it. And it's just it's
like you're just be coming by the wayside. It's sad.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
Well, you know, I think I think that if we
as the consumers and we as the customers of these
companies have to basically say, hey, you know, we'll we'll
do our Christmas shopping, but we'll wait until the sales
of Black Friday or all of that. I mean, we
had we had a special guest on last night during
(24:38):
the eight o'clock hour, was talking about is it better
to buy now or wait till Black Friday. He thinks
that people should wait, not because he's you know, romantic
in terms of Christmas. He thinks that the Black Friday
sales this year will be very good sales. So he says,
you're going to buy something in early November and yeah,
(24:58):
you'll get it at at a better rate the you know,
the day after Thanksgiving.
Speaker 5 (25:03):
So now the big discussion is to the stores open
up earlier for black products. For Thanksgiving, I'm like, no.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, why why destroy your Thanksgiving so
you can be at line at two thirty in the morning,
you know.
Speaker 5 (25:21):
Freezing to be with family and be thankful, you know,
I mean.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
There there were so few times during the year where
people can can count on being together, and Thanksgiving is
really the day during the year when because there's no
other obligations, there's no other pressure. That's the best part
about it. I keep referring to it as you know,
it's faith, it's family, it's fun, it's football, it's food.
Speaker 8 (25:49):
Right.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
Yeah, you heard of the four for H club. This
is the five F club, and they're all good f's
if you get my drift. Yeah, it's that Christy. As always,
thank you so much. I appreciate your loyalty to this program.
Talk soon.
Speaker 7 (26:07):
Thank you.
Speaker 5 (26:08):
Great weekend.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
I absolutely will. I promise you I've had very good weekends. Thanks.
Where are we going to go next? Okay, let me
go to Teresa in Lynn. Hi. Teresa, welcome. It's interesting.
A lot of ladies except for Bob all ladies this hour,
which is great. Teresa. Are we being pushed to get
involved in the Christmas spirit a little too soon or
(26:31):
do you disagree with me?
Speaker 7 (26:33):
I disagree.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
I think we have to have mercy on our fellow
human beings have had an awful year every year, and
Thanksgiving used to be in the origin, I think, was
to thank God for the harvest and being able to
survive in the new country with the help of the
indigenous peoples. But we're long past that now. Nowadays it
(26:54):
seems Thanksgiving us about thank God. It looks like I'm
going to live to see another Christmas. Now, let's get
the tree and stuff out. That's how I look at it.
Speaker 7 (27:05):
So Unio.
Speaker 3 (27:06):
It should last. Nobody should put it away till after
January seventh.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
Yeah, so let me ask you this. I love Thanksgiving,
and I really mean that. Okay. I loved Christmas when
my kids were and I still love Christmas, but I
really loved it when my kids were young because all
you know, you could buy them stuff, and no matter
what you bought them, they loved. You know. Now, of
course you don't know what to buy anyone, you know
(27:31):
who's you know, my kids are grown ups at this point.
But I love Thanksgiving. I think back of some of
the best holidays were the simplicity of Thanksgiving where you
got together and there was no pressure to buy gifts.
There was. You just showed up and enjoyed a meal together.
(27:52):
And I just feel we're losing Thanksgiving with all of
the Christmas decorations in stores this early. You don't buy
that though, right, she's still.
Speaker 7 (28:05):
In this hard light. Let them go for it.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Let them go for it. Okay, So let me ask
you this. Have you finished your Christmas shopping already? Well?
Speaker 3 (28:16):
I haven't, But customarily on Thanksgiving, after everybody's eaten, I
might say, listen, help me get that tree and then
just set it up. We're not going to light it
or decorate it, but let's just set it up and
get the boxes from the attic, and then you can
pat your hands and say, now let's have some more turkey.
That's all.
Speaker 7 (28:34):
That's how I look at it.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
So you're you're using your guests as as as.
Speaker 7 (28:39):
A labors, hands on deck.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
I was going to say, I was going to say
cheap labor, but that would be unfair.
Speaker 3 (28:48):
No problem, and it gets them all excited and happy.
Speaker 7 (28:52):
You nothing wrong with it, all?
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Right? Well, Teresa, I really appreciated kind of a different take.
You're thinking outside the box. Thanks so much, good night,
I will take it. We'll take good night thereesa. See,
that's a different point of view. That's what the show's
up all about, even on a subject like this, which
is intended to be just a little light Now, look,
as I remind you, in the eleven o'clock hour, the
(29:16):
twentieth hour of the week, which is now a scant
fifteen minutes away, everybody gets a hall pass. So if
you called earlier this week, even if you called this hour,
if the topic that I will announce after the eleven
o'clock news interest you intrigues you, you're not prevented from calling.
In the eleven o'clock hour. Everyone gets a hall pass, okay,
to call if you know, first time, second time, whatever
(29:39):
during the week. You know, we try to keep everybody
at one call a week. Sometimes we're successful, sometimes we're not.
Sometimes we make exceptions. There are no hard and fast
rules here on Night Side, except I want you to
give me a call and tell me are you concerned
about we're calling it Christmas creep. I think you know
the concept that all of a sudden you go into
(30:01):
a store. And I think it was Deborah who talked
about it from Brighton. You go into a store and
all of a sudden you realize, Hey, it's October fifteenth,
and there's Christmas stuff up. There's Christmas decorations up. That
troubles me. I want to keep Christmas special. Six one, seven, two, five, four, ten,
thirty six, one seven nine, three one ten thirty. My
(30:24):
name's Dan Ray. This is Nightside. Got a couple of
open lines here, so we'll finish out the hour strong.
Do you feel that they, when I say they, the
retail industry is pushing Christmas too early, pushing Christmas earlier
than it should, that we should even be engaging with it.
I want Christmas to be It's the most important holiday
(30:47):
of the year for me, holy day of the year
as well. But but I think, and I think some
of you have agreed with me, A couple of you
have disagreed with me that we couldn't be walking into
stores in early November and seeing every everything dealing dealing
with Christmas. Call us up back on night Side six
(31:09):
one seven, two, five, four, ten thirty six, seven nine.
We'll be right back now. Back to Dan Ray live
from the Window World Nightside Studios on WBZ News radio.
All right, let's keep rolling here. We're going to go
next to Karen in Leminster. Karen, are we pushing Christmas
a little too early? Oh?
Speaker 8 (31:30):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (31:31):
Every year I see it getting earlier and earlier. The
ads for Black Friday, I mean in the early November,
you know, and you go into stores, and I mean
I love the Christmas music and all, but even that,
I think they can wait on that till ne a Thanksgiving.
But there's one station in Worcester that has you know,
(31:53):
just now, which is okay, But I still think they
could wait on it. And I like the times when
you could there was no pressure to buy something before Thanksgiving.
You waited till after Thanksgiving, then you bought it up
and then even then there was no pressure to get
something right before Christmas or you know, I do think
(32:13):
we it starts too early. It's a wonderful season. I
love the Holy Day and you know, because it is
a Holy Day and the spiritual aspect of Christmas and everything,
but I do think there's not the commercial aspect too soon.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
Yeah, I think a lot of the spiritual aspect unfortunately
people miss, and I think that's the most important part
of But in my opinion, but it's just frustrating. You
walk into a store in mid October and you're listening
(32:47):
to Mariah Carey singing All I Want for Christmas. Yeah,
probably song, but it's just a little too early.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
I don't way too early.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
It's like the equivalent of showing up at the beach
at the end of morning Arch or early April. I mean,
it just is, it's it's it's the wrong time. It's
just the wrong time. And uh, and I know why,
it's why it's done. It's done to maximize the the
the pressure on us to bye bye bye, bye bye.
And that's trouble. It troubles me. I don't know. I
(33:20):
don't have it. I don't have an answer. It's interesting
most most folks agree with us on this one. Karen.
I hope.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
Like to see them stretch Christmas music out into January.
You Christmas Carol right after Christmas. A lot of gone.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
The Christmas season, well, we lose it because then the
focus becomes New Year's and it's party time. Minutes. How
you know, I'm going to go to the parade downtown
and uh, and then that's gone. I mean, once New
Year's Eve is over, the next morning, you get up
and you say, oh my god, another year has gone by.
(33:58):
I'm ready for the No. Thanks, you have a great
you have a great Thanksgiving. That's mine.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
You have wonderful Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2 (34:08):
Thanks Garin. We'll talk soon. Okay, let's go next to
We got Caroline in Boston. Hey Caroline, welcome next to Nightside.
Speaker 8 (34:19):
Oh hi Dan, I young listen your program. And I
completely agree with you because you see, I half Latino,
half Gringo, have European have whatever? And all people in
different countries they have Christmas. It's very important, you know, Yes.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Yep, absolutely, and in a lot of countries have I
think that it's called little Christmas that that goes into January.
Speaker 8 (34:54):
Correct, Yes, yes, we having big scene be before and
I go to the stores. I see all the advertising
and I'd buy this and buy that and blah blah
blah blah. But you know, we we kind of have
loss of what idea what Christmas is child be And
(35:19):
I think, like you said, when your children were children,
they you enjoy very much because they will take everything
back When then you have their children growing up, it's
a different any story, you know, it is.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
A very different story. I remember my kids, you know,
we will. We lived in a house that had two
fours and the bedrooms were upstairs and the Christmas tree
was downstairs. And I was always fumbling with the with
the the cam quarterback in those days, there's you know,
(35:54):
the video cameras that we all had, which were too big,
and my wife would be holding the kids the top
of the stairs because I wanted to get that shot
of them running down the stairs. And you know, they
they they they've woken up early at six thirty in
the morning. I'm half asleep, and it's get the camera,
get the cam corner, and the kids we want to
(36:15):
get down the stairs and and and then they would
come down and they would, you know, find whatever they
wanted to find under the tree. And I always, you know,
it was it was memorable mornings. I mean, it was
more fun for me than it was for them, and
for and for them it was it was always a
lot of fun. I just remember them, and particularly I
(36:35):
had a son and a daughter and they were about
four years apart in age, so when you know, when
when they were five and uh, well six and two,
the poor little one she had all she could do
to get down the stairs. But by time she became
six or seven, she was pushing her older brother out
of the way to get down the stairs first. Those
(36:57):
are those are memories that I'll always I will always
have as a result of Christmas. How do you like Thanksgiving?
Is Thanksgiving an important holiday in your family?
Speaker 8 (37:09):
Well, it's very important for me. I have my family
not only here in America, but I have family Latin America,
I have family in Europe, I have family in Australia
all over the place. But I am lucky enough to
be able to be an echaristical minister, and I had
gone through the studies and every sing else in the
(37:32):
church a part of being elation Bi Linguae social worker.
So anyway, what I do is I would really appreciate
it very much when we have a leader group, our
Spanish seniors, and they will come in and they will
(37:53):
have this beautiful Saturday to appreciate every one and toy
with the meals and everything else, and then we are
going to have our own private family thank Giving. And
we always shouldn't be so grateful. We Americans have lost
(38:13):
that fact that we shouldn't be so grateful that we
have family, that we have people who love us, that
we have good neighbors, that we have a job, that
we have people who is teaching, like myself to the
senior Spanish to learn English.
Speaker 7 (38:34):
You know.
Speaker 8 (38:35):
So, I mean it's of course, it's always something to
be simple for I couldn't agree.
Speaker 2 (38:43):
With you more. And I think that a lot of
us have kind of forgotten gratitude. And I'm grateful Caroline
that you took the time to call. Have I ever
had the honor of having you on my program before?
Is it's your first time calling?
Speaker 8 (38:57):
No, I have called you before, but I only did
in the last time, and it was very short because
it was only interesting to hear your point of view.
You're good and your bad point of view, and your
programs are fabulous.
Speaker 2 (39:14):
So a man for back Caroline. Caroline, I wish you
a wonderful Christmas, you know, both as the holiday and
as the Holy Day. And I hope you and your
family have a great Thanksgiving and I look forward to
your next call. Thank you so much. It's an honor
to talk.
Speaker 8 (39:29):
Yes, thank you to you, and I'll keep doing the
big job that you do for every one of us.
Speaker 2 (39:36):
I will try. Thanks Caroline, we'll talk again. Thank you
so much.
Speaker 7 (39:39):
Bye bye, good night.
Speaker 2 (39:40):
All right, bye bye. When we come back, you know
what we're gonna do. Brushes with celebrity. Okay, it's as
simple as that. It's my favorite eleven o'clock hour. So
I know some of you don't like it. I'll explain
it fully and jump on board your brush with celebrity.
Everyone's had them. I want to hear yours. We'll be
back on night Side after this.
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