It always surprises me how different US TV ads are from the ones I see in the UK. Our Christmas commercials are far less 'in your face' and are more sentimental. I'm in Ohio at the moment and so that JC Penney commercial is a horrible earworm for me right now. I hate the commercialism of Christmas - the pressure on people to buy-buy-buy or they'll 'fail' Christmas.

Someone asked me recently what I wanted for Christmas - and the answer was "nothing". I'd much rather someone made me a mix CD or some home-baked brownies than unwrap a Body Shop bath set or a gift card.

I do like to send cards though, and usually put a lot of thought into the cards I send out.

Except for sports, I try never to watch commercial TV "live". It's worth waiting a day so that I can DVR past the commercials. Even with sports, sometimes I'll go shopping during the first half of a football game with it recording on the DVR and then FF through the game skipping over all of the horrible lite beer and monster truck commercials.

I am staying with family for the holiday and therefore am being inundated with the fucking tv. If one more person says to me, "Have you seen that commercial where . . . " I'm gonna lose it. It's making me crazy. Plus I'm sick. I will manage to summon up some thankfulness for the day, but in the meantime it's hell.

Got rid of broadcast TV some years ago and soooo don't miss it. Every time I stay with someone and indulge in it, it's weirder and weirder. The longer you're away from it, the more intrusive, gross, and insulting it seems.

Big box employees who strike on Black Friday completely have my back.

And black Friday now begins 8pm Thanksgiving. :-(

I used to love Christmas. Over the past 15 years I have learned to hate it. Back in the 80's I learned to avoid shopping (except of course food) after August 15th. I still avoid it but now I hate the Internet from the 15th to January 15th.

The reason for the season FUCKER?

GREED!

Watching TV with commercials when you're not used to it is totally disorienting. People respond to this? Really? Are they this loud and crass because we've all managed to mentally ignore them? (the online ad principle - we all learned to block them out now it's all hot neon boobs. Gah. I watch TV with headphones and remove them the instant the commercial break starts.