I can wait

I left work for my dinner break last night and as I do every day on my way home, I passed the state office building in town.

The building often hosts various events throughout the season, from the chili cook-off to art shows to concerts. It even put on some card shows back in the day.

As I drove past, I noticed cars parked along both sides of the street and people walking toward the building entrance. "Must be something going on there this weekend," I thought to myself.

Then I remembered: a local theater production was preparing to put on their version of "The Christmas Carol". I just naturally assumed it was for next month. But it wasn't. It was for Nov. 6-9. Because that's when Christmas happens, between Nov. 6-9.

This is not me complaining about "Christmas creep" -- well, not complaining about it as if it's some sort of new thing. There are plenty of people acting like Christmas taking over was just invented. Every year, some Facebook user takes a picture in September of the Christmas display in Walmart and expects people to be outraged like this is all very this year.

But none of it is new. I was a department store employee in the mid-1980s. In 1983, my co-workers were putting up Christmas displays in September, probably even at the end of August. This is just something that retail outlets do and have done forever. It's not some modern sign of societal decay.

However, I don't have to like it.

I don't like hearing Christmas music on November 4th. I cringe at Lifetime Christmas movies playing the second October ends (or any time actually). I understand it, but I don't like it.

I am a traditionalist in this area, too. I grew up in a family that went out to the Christmas forest and cut down a tree on Dec. 12th. We'd decorate it that weekend and it would stay up through the 12 days of Christmas, which ends on Jan. 6th. We never shopped on Black Friday. (My time as a department store employee also cured me of ever being in a store on that date).

I like the Thanksgiving season. I think of it as distinct from Christmas with different feelings and customs. Obviously people have mushed the two into some sort of new celebration, which makes little sense to me (especially when I see their tree at the curb on Dec. 26th) but the ship has sailed and that's the way a lot of people recognize the holidays now.

That doesn't mean I have to do it.

So that brings me to this:

I've seen about half a dozen or more blog posts or videos on this year's Topps holiday set. The boxes are opened and the very festive cards -- they are super festive this year -- are opened. I've seen holly and candy canes and Santa hats and bows and ribbons and Christmas lights, all on baseball cards, before November is even halfway through. I saw the first one before October was even through.

If these were the previous Topps holiday version, which contained merely snowflakes, it wouldn't bother me that I'm seeing them already. There's snow on the ground where I am right now. But interestingly, when this set featured only snowflakes, it was released closer to Christmas than the Very Christmas Version of the holiday set this year.

Topps is trying to market this as a Christmas gift. It's arrived in stores with all the other potential Christmas gifts, dressed up in red and green so shoppers will notice. It's all very understandable. And I expect it to be very successful, too.

Because not only will collectors be interested in this set, but family members of collectors, who really don't know all that much about cards, will buy these boxes because they're cards and they're Christmasy and they're out shopping for Christmas stuff anyway. It's a natural for family members who don't want to hunt around for the exact right card.

I know this set is popular already because I went to Walmart -- the only place you can find them -- earlier this week and the shelf where I found the Topps holiday tag was empty. The boxes obviously sold out quickly.

I went back again a few days later and the spot was still empty. Sensing a challenge, I went back the very next day -- early. There was new stock. But the holiday boxes were down to just three already.

Of course, I am interested in these cards, too.

Yes, I think they're weird and as I've said before, mixing Christmas and winter with baseball really doesn't make much sense. There will be the usual crabbing about the ridiculousness of it all and how Topps is selling you basically the same cards it issued throughout the year. But I do love Christmas and I love whimsy and this set shows effort -- sort of.  So that's why I want to see them in person.

Even with all the posts about these already, I still haven't read the one thing that I like about them most.

I guess you'll have to read about that here.

But I'm not showing the cards now.

I can wait.

It's not Christmas time. And these are Very Christmas cards. I try to make this blog time-appropriate and although some bloggers try to be the first when sets are issued, and really this set is just another release date, it doesn't feel right this time. I know this blog, as tiny as it is, is part of the vast network of media. And all of it contributes to the Christmas creep.

I don't want to be a part of it. I'll wait until December.

Yeah, yeah, it'll be old news then.

I don't care. It'll be so festive it won't matter. And I'll find some sort of way to put my own spin on it.

Plus ...

I bought two.

(Yes, they're still unopened).