It is Sunday, January 20.  This week, you pick your favorite holiday and figure out how many days there are until it gets here.  Today is the birthday of Nathaniel Willis, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Skeet Ulrich.  On this day in 1783, hostilities ceased in the Revolutionary War.  In 1869 Elizabeth Cady Stanton became the first woman to testify before Congress.  The first live coast-to-coast inauguration address was given by Eisenhower in 1953.  Today is Grandmother’s Day in Bulgaria.  Tomorrow is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the US.

I was watching TV the other night and was reminded once again why I dislike seasonal advertising.  A commercial came on for a tax advisory company that I found to be most annoying.  What made it worse was that it showed each time there was a commercial break.  You know the one I mean.  The one where they show everyone dancing because they are so happy to get money back.  The problems are that the people are not good dancers, the dancing is done in slow motion which makes it even less attractive and it is only January, so we will get to see these lousy commercials for the next few months.

What I fail to get is how people dancing poorly is expected to convince me to avail myself of their services.  What if I don’t want to dance when they finish my return?  Is it a requirement that I dance like a fool if they get me money?  That alone would keep me from going to them.

There are a number of commercials that make me wonder what the people in charge were thinking when they approved the spot.  Like the one where a little cartoon military guy with a penguin sidekick tries to sell me auto insurance by playing baseball.  I have a number of questions about this.  One is why a penguin for a sidekick?  The other is what does playing baseball have to do with car insurance?  I have listened to the voice over, but cannot see any connection.  They have another one showing the cartoon guy playing soccer.  Suddenly, they have a young lady jumping and waving and then they go back to soccer.  I figure whoever was doing that commercial scored some big points when he got his girl friend on TV.

Then there is the insurance company that uses a talking lizard, with an Australian accent, to convince me that their insurance is good.  This company has a number of different commercial series that just don’t work for me.  I understand what they are trying to do, but having Eddie Money do the one commercial was … well, let’s just say it was not good.  The whole series with the two guys standing on a little stage saying how happy people are is, in my opinion, dumb.  I’m glad they stopped the caveman one.  Too bad they didn’t end it sooner.  

And be honest, am I the only person who has had more than enough of Flo?

Then there is the flooring company that will install carpeting the next day and if you buy one room you can get the carpeting for two others for free.  If you ever get the chance, and are good at speed reading, you can see that the small print says that it is only for some types of carpeting, the stuff they are trying to get rid of.  You have to pay for installation and you have to pay to have furniture moved so that the carpeting can be put down.  As my grandfather used to say, “The large print gives it to you and the small print takes it away.”

But I digress …

What I started to talk about was seasonal advertising.  It is only January and we are seeing the tax people already.  There have also been the Valentine’s Day ads and the ones pushing Easter stuff should be showing up soon.  I know I have railed about this in the past, but it does make me crazy.  I have enough trouble remembering what day it is, without the commercials confusing me as to the time of year.  I know that I cannot change the way this stuff is done, but it makes me feel just a little better to bring it up and hope that other people will be annoyed, too.  Misery does love company.

Well, all you Bulgarians give your grandmothers a hug.  In fact, hug your grandmother even if you are not Bulgarian.  Have a good week and keep dancing.  You might get money back on your tax return.