The day after Halloween, spirit all around seems to shift from spooky to jolly. Everything begins to smell like cinnamon, Christmas music can be heard in every single mall and people everywhere begin to prepare for the most wonderful time of the year.
It's around this time that public opinion seems to split, with one half putting up their Christmas trees and the other half demanding Thanksgiving recognition. While it is true that Thanksgiving occurs between Halloween and Christmas, there is no reason that the spirit of Christmas cannot begin in November.
It is very difficult to get into the 'Thanksgiving spirit'. Sure, you could put up little stuffed turkeys everywhere, but that feels a bit weird considering you will be eating those cute little turkeys soon.
Some argue that Thanksgiving should receive more attention than Christmas, as it is supposed to be a day to remember all that you're thankful for. Yet, it seems to me that Thanksgiving has become more of a food centric holiday, with many families dealing with each other through a meal and being thankful when it is time to leave. In the way that you shouldn't just show your love for someone on Valentine's Day, you shouldn't express thankfulness one day out of the entire year.
Christmas time, on the other hand, hardly consists of a singe day. The yuletide spirit seems to engulf everything. Decorating the tree, getting out your Santa-shaped Scentsy and covering everything in tinsel begins, at the latest, on the first week of December. The self-restraint it is currently taking me to wait to open my Christmas Decor box is truly monumental, as I have always been a Christmas lover. The sights, the smells and the shear feel of Christmas is something I look forward to every single year. And despite what many people believe, it is not about the presents.
I grew up in a family that always decorates for Christmas: snow globes, lawn ornaments, stockings, the whole nine yards. And the presents were always a tiny blip on the Christmas radar. Christmas was a season where everyone was a little bit nicer to one another. Baked goods always seemed to be in the house, more extended family stopped by and the whole world just felt a little bit jollier. For so many people, Christmas is the only time they get to see certain members of their family. Christmas means getting to audition for cute plays at school. Christmas means toy drives for families who can't afford the newest toys. Christmas is a national time of giving and good feeling, only a bit of which has to do with receiving presents.
While Christmas technically might not be for another two months, the Christmas season is upon us. And if that doesn't work for you, I'll just take my Rudolph sweater and snowman mug to people who will really appreciate them.
