The holidays are going by faster, it seems. Halloween was this past weekend, but even before that, decorations and costumes were marked down and tossed into the sales bins. During the week leading up to Halloween weekend, people were posting photos from inside different stores that have already put out their Christmas trees for sale.

We all joke about how poor Thanksgiving is always forgotten, but now it appears that Halloween is starting to get the shaft as well. Christmas is getting to be an even stronger commercial force. I never thought it was possible, but it’s happening right now.

Remember when we would “prepare” for Thanksgiving? Not even Pepperidge Farm remembers at this point, because it’s been so long. I haven’t seen any Thanksgiving decorations in ages (unless the food counts). Before, we would see some commercial reminders about Thanksgiving for a few weeks, and then move right along to Christmas the day or two after. In the past few years, we would have up to a week of Thanksgiving hype (not that you could really call it such) following Halloween, but we don’t even get that anymore. And now Halloween is losing its hype before the weekend is over.

On one hand, starting the Christmas buildup earlier and earlier makes sense in terms of planning. Some people might need more time to buy presents, either by saving up or placing their gifts into layaway. Preparing for Christmas is like preparing for finals – the worst thing you can do is procrastinate. For those who are hosting family or friends during the holidays, buying everything after Halloween would take the stress off for a month, and maybe even save some money. But at the same time, why would you want to rush? How much is too much? And what about Thanksgiving?

Why would you want to rush through the holidays? With the holidays going by faster, there’s less time to enjoy them (and they’re only once a year as it is). We may even start to get bored of the holidays – Christmas at least – if this trend keeps up. Sometimes we need to stop and smell the pumpkin (spice lattes…). Put those Christmas trees back in storage for another month. Eat all of the Halloween candy. Actually give a crap about Thanksgiving this year. By slowing down the planning and preparation, you’ll be able to enjoy the festivities a lot more.