Dear Editor,

I just returned from a major big-box store in Danville looking for summer items like charcoal briquettes.

The “Garden Shop” has been converted into the “Christmas Store” already.

Now, I don’t mind stores cashing in on what used to be a major religious holiday. Well, not that much anyway. But to do it only a few days after Labor Day is making a total mockery of Christmas and everything it is supposed to represent.

Many years ago, we didn’t start thinking about Christmas until after Thanksgiving — one holiday at a time. Now, we may as well put up our Christmas decorations on the Fourth of July so we won’t be late, or even leave them up year ’round so we don’t have to bother every December.

Those who complain about a “war on Christmas,” which does not exist except in their minds, might better use their influence on merchants who want to skim every last cent of ours three months before the holiday.

With these actions by several stores in the Danville area, we can forget about Halloween and Thanksgiving, because those don’t count any more to big retailers. Yes, they will have a few other holiday items, but, face it, their big push is Christmas, and it’s just now the beginning of October.

Michael J. Dennis

Parksville