Skipping Thanksgiving

I have a gripe. There has been Christmas music on, Christmas decorations in the stores and generally Christmas in the air. Why is this all starting after Halloween!? I'm getting pretty ticked at retailers thinking that jumping into the Christmas spirit on Nov 1st is somehow going to increase their profits. The biggest issue I have with this is that no one is taking the time to be grateful. I realized this year one of the important parts of Thanksgiving is taking time to be grateful before we enter the biggest giving season of the year. When we take that time, when we have a real THANKSgiving, we are in the proper spirit to celebrate the Lord's birth. I have really come to appreciate the time when the leaves are turning and the air is cooler (most of the time) and we have the opportunity to reflect on the things we are thankful for. Our culture has forgotten gratitude in the hustle and bustle of shopping and business. Skipping Thanksgiving means skipping that time for reflection. This is imperative, I think, to being open to the true spirit of the Christmas season. I want so much for my family to have that. I'm not sure how to combat retail. Maybe staying away from them. I am doing more shopping online this year I think. I also think I will not be listening to radio stations that play Christmas music, and I will be writing them to tell them so. If anyone has more suggestions please comment. How are you guys getting into the right spirit of the holiday season?