Christmas in October?

It has occurred to me, these last couple of years, how much we get involved with the holiday season. You see sales at stores start to hit hardcore, months in advanced; you hear the all-too-annoying holiday music that makes you want to kill yourself; and you even see the overloads of lights being put up even before one can even consider the holiday season to be around the corner. How has our nation become this crazed? I begin to look back.
When I was a kid, Christmas was the best thing ever; I mean what kid didn't want all those toys and gifts? A weird kid that's who because presents are the greatest. My parents would come up to me, about a month before the big day, and ask for my list. I would smile my big happy smile and give them the TOYS R US sheet, and they would just laugh. Of course then I didn't know that what I was doing was completely stupid, but I really did want all those toys! One Christmas, I was about five, and I asked specifically for a Scooby doo board game. I told my mom that I really hoped Santa would get it for me, and what do you know, I got it from non other than Santy Clause! I was the happiest five year old alive. Any who, back then, Christmas was Christmas. There wasn't really any rush or craziness until the week of Christmas day. It was almost like a calming holiday for me: spend time with my family, eat a lot of food, and so on. Now I feel as though everyone is more worried about the gifts and sales and all that jazz, not even thinking about the meaning of it in the first place. My family and I are still the same as we have always been, when it comes to the holidays and such, but the media and others are impacting how we view it.
I guess I'm not an expert on this. I mean, it could have been this bad when I was little and I was too young to notice, but I highly doubt that. Things change over time, and as technology has enhanced, more and more opportunities have opened. The media displays more and more each day, and businesses use the media as there way of advertising their stuff; what greater way to reach people than through the holiday season. It just gets nuts!
What I am getting at is the fact that Christmas, the holidays, whatever, has become way too big of a deal and a big deal in the wrong way. It is meant for you and your family and what it means to you. The extra gifts and craziness just doesn't need to happen.
Therefore, I am hoping everyone has happy holidays!