Grea Alexander's Blog - Posts Tagged "holiday"
Open Seasons
I find myself vaguely disturbed by what I have noticed to be a new trend these last few years – open seasons (AKA retailers moving holidays further and further up the retail calendar and mushing them all together).
For example, in September of last year, I walked into several retailers only to be bombarded with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all at the same time. Instead of “Aw cool! Now I can find the perfect HallowThanksMas costume/centerpiece/gift item.” I was left thinking “What the f*ck?!” It used to be a treat to wait until the month of the holiday, walk into the store and enjoy each holiday's individual kitsch. Now, it's like walking through a hoarder's garage - creepy, off putting and probably slightly hazardous to one's health.
And it's not just the October/November/December holidays falling victim to this most accursed of fates. In January of this year, I was seeing Valentine’s Day products (which is perfectly reasonable) flocked on the next isle by *Easter* products. Easter? Easter was what in April of this year? Whose dim-witted arse idea was that anyway?
Mid-July, we ended up stopping into a Party City for some reason or other – birthday cards maybe. As I meandered around the store, what should I spy? HALLOWEEN PRODUCTS?! They were hung up on shelves and stacked in boxes being cataloged and unpacked by the eager little high school dropouts that work in the stock department.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Everyone who knows me, knows that I am a Halloween fanatic. Halloween and Christmas - scary and shiny...kind of like me. That being said, yes, I actually *do* start *planning* my costume in advance – sometimes I even start kicking around ideas as early as right after Halloween the year before as I tend to do custom, real fabric costumes as opposed to cheapie looking store bought poly ones.
Still, I don’t want stores trying to force feed me a holiday *months* before it is reasonable to do so. At least let some of the heat of summer fade a bit before you try to sell me on late fall. I mean I had not even finished properly digesting my Fourth of July barbecue yet and here already, Halloween was being shoved down my throat.
What happened to put out the Halloween stuff until Halloween passes, shift Halloween stuff into Clearance/storage and then put out the Thanksgiving stuff and so on and so forth? I *miss* the days when I didn’t feel bombarded every time I walk into a local mega grocery/tire/lobotomy store with the ghosts of holidays yet to come to pass.
It seems in this society everything is moving faster and faster and faster for no apparent, good reason and this cultural speed fix has bled over into retail sales. Talk about screwing with my internal seasonal clock.
On top of it all, kids often get confused and ask when exactly this holiday or that one is again because their young minds dare to assume that they wouldn’t be putting out stuff 3 months too early.
Is it too much to ask to focus and enjoy one thing at a time before moving onto another? Can I at least *enjoy* one holiday before you start trying to bilk me out of cash for the next one?
For example, in September of last year, I walked into several retailers only to be bombarded with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all at the same time. Instead of “Aw cool! Now I can find the perfect HallowThanksMas costume/centerpiece/gift item.” I was left thinking “What the f*ck?!” It used to be a treat to wait until the month of the holiday, walk into the store and enjoy each holiday's individual kitsch. Now, it's like walking through a hoarder's garage - creepy, off putting and probably slightly hazardous to one's health.
And it's not just the October/November/December holidays falling victim to this most accursed of fates. In January of this year, I was seeing Valentine’s Day products (which is perfectly reasonable) flocked on the next isle by *Easter* products. Easter? Easter was what in April of this year? Whose dim-witted arse idea was that anyway?
Mid-July, we ended up stopping into a Party City for some reason or other – birthday cards maybe. As I meandered around the store, what should I spy? HALLOWEEN PRODUCTS?! They were hung up on shelves and stacked in boxes being cataloged and unpacked by the eager little high school dropouts that work in the stock department.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Everyone who knows me, knows that I am a Halloween fanatic. Halloween and Christmas - scary and shiny...kind of like me. That being said, yes, I actually *do* start *planning* my costume in advance – sometimes I even start kicking around ideas as early as right after Halloween the year before as I tend to do custom, real fabric costumes as opposed to cheapie looking store bought poly ones.
Still, I don’t want stores trying to force feed me a holiday *months* before it is reasonable to do so. At least let some of the heat of summer fade a bit before you try to sell me on late fall. I mean I had not even finished properly digesting my Fourth of July barbecue yet and here already, Halloween was being shoved down my throat.
What happened to put out the Halloween stuff until Halloween passes, shift Halloween stuff into Clearance/storage and then put out the Thanksgiving stuff and so on and so forth? I *miss* the days when I didn’t feel bombarded every time I walk into a local mega grocery/tire/lobotomy store with the ghosts of holidays yet to come to pass.
It seems in this society everything is moving faster and faster and faster for no apparent, good reason and this cultural speed fix has bled over into retail sales. Talk about screwing with my internal seasonal clock.
On top of it all, kids often get confused and ask when exactly this holiday or that one is again because their young minds dare to assume that they wouldn’t be putting out stuff 3 months too early.
Is it too much to ask to focus and enjoy one thing at a time before moving onto another? Can I at least *enjoy* one holiday before you start trying to bilk me out of cash for the next one?
Double Dip All You Want!
Until I reach a certain magical internal number I will never disclose to any of you, I am offering more FREE and BRAND NEW samples of my books - no blood sample, ID card, social security card or report card required!
The new samples include:
Rebellion Book II: Book of Soung: SAMPLE CHAPTERS
Rebellion Book III: Book of Choi: SAMPLE CHAPTERS
Miael: Friends: SAMPLE CHAPTERS
Miael: Lovers: SAMPLE CHAPTERS
Cabello: Petrika: SAMPLE CHAPTERS
Cabello: Acadea: SAMPLE CHAPTERS
You can get them on Amazon.com, Kobo.com or BarnesAndNoble.com, regardless of your country (looking at you pointedly, Goodreads). The link information is the same. Just plug in your country's site information (for instance tack .au after Amazon.com for Amazon.com.au for Australia or change the /us/ to /uk/ in the Kobo url for UK).
Of course you could also do something crazy like type "Grea Alexander" in the search bar instead. (wink)
The U.S. links are here:
Amazon...ia:
https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/ent...
BarnesAndNo....bell
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22G...
Kobo....bo
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?que...
The original Sample Chapters are also available for free (or should be), as well as my super short story, Miael: The Couturier (fancy French talk for High-Dollar Fashion Designer).
Rebellion Book I: Book of Quay: SAMPLE CHAPTERS: 1-3
Amarna Book I: Book of Ida: SAMPLE CHAPTERS: Prologue - II
The Pack: Addison: SAMPLE CHAPTERS: 1-3
Miael: Family: SAMPLE CHAPTERS: 1-2
Miael: The Couturier
So, screw everyone giving you the stank, side-eye for hoggin' all the goodies and double dip my free samples all you want! Hell, sextuple dip if you dare and let's see if I can knock myself out of the number 1 spot in Amazon France for English Dark Fantasy (https://www.amazon.fr/gp/bestsellers/...)! (wink)
Enjoy!
Grea.
Oh, and by the way, my Sample Chapters should ALWAYS be free in all markets at all times. If you see Amazon creeping up the price, just "report a lower price" to make them knock it back down to Free.
Cheers!
The new samples include:
Rebellion Book II: Book of Soung: SAMPLE CHAPTERS
Rebellion Book III: Book of Choi: SAMPLE CHAPTERS
Miael: Friends: SAMPLE CHAPTERS
Miael: Lovers: SAMPLE CHAPTERS
Cabello: Petrika: SAMPLE CHAPTERS
Cabello: Acadea: SAMPLE CHAPTERSYou can get them on Amazon.com, Kobo.com or BarnesAndNoble.com, regardless of your country (looking at you pointedly, Goodreads). The link information is the same. Just plug in your country's site information (for instance tack .au after Amazon.com for Amazon.com.au for Australia or change the /us/ to /uk/ in the Kobo url for UK).
Of course you could also do something crazy like type "Grea Alexander" in the search bar instead. (wink)
The U.S. links are here:
Amazon...ia:
https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/ent...
BarnesAndNo....bell
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22G...
Kobo....bo
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?que...
The original Sample Chapters are also available for free (or should be), as well as my super short story, Miael: The Couturier (fancy French talk for High-Dollar Fashion Designer).
Rebellion Book I: Book of Quay: SAMPLE CHAPTERS: 1-3
Amarna Book I: Book of Ida: SAMPLE CHAPTERS: Prologue - II
The Pack: Addison: SAMPLE CHAPTERS: 1-3
Miael: Family: SAMPLE CHAPTERS: 1-2
Miael: The CouturierSo, screw everyone giving you the stank, side-eye for hoggin' all the goodies and double dip my free samples all you want! Hell, sextuple dip if you dare and let's see if I can knock myself out of the number 1 spot in Amazon France for English Dark Fantasy (https://www.amazon.fr/gp/bestsellers/...)! (wink)
Enjoy!
Grea.
Oh, and by the way, my Sample Chapters should ALWAYS be free in all markets at all times. If you see Amazon creeping up the price, just "report a lower price" to make them knock it back down to Free.
Cheers!
