This article may seem cynical, and you may think I'm a scrooge, but I have an announcement for all the crazy Christmas lovers out there: It is not Christmas yet. It is not even Thanksgiving yet. Why are your decorations out? Why are you already singing Christmas songs?
Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas. Being able to bundle up in warm sweater is one of my favorite parts of the changing seasons. Christmas scented candles and peppermint lattes cannot be beat, and nothing is better than having an entire month off of school to do whatever you would like. However, I believe there is a correct time to begin holiday festivities, and the whole month of November is not that time. That would be similar to decorating for Halloween on October 1, which just doesn't happen.
I really do enjoy Thanksgiving, and I hate that we tend to skip over it to get right to the presents. I think it has a lot to do with how commercialized Christmas has become, but that is a whole story itself. Although some people just truly find joy in the Christmas spirit, I do not like the idea of beginning Christmas celebrations so early.
My family has wonderful Thanksgiving traditions that I believe should be honored and recognized. Every year we gather to eat, catch up with one another, take a family photo, and simply enjoy one another's company. I wouldn't trade that time with my family for the world because I know how precious it is and how blessed I am to be given that time that some people are not given.
This year I have decided to be thankful for the fact that I have been placed into such an amazing family that supports me no matter what and is always willing to go out of their way to be there for me. I am thankful that I have a good relationship with my parents and that I am close with my little sister. I am thankful that I do not have to worry where my next meal is coming from or how I am going to pay for college, because I think these are things people my age often take for granted.
Once Thanksgiving has come and gone please decorate your homes as extravagantly as you would like. Decorate 12 trees for all I care! Sing your Christmas carols, and shop until you drop. However, remember there is another holiday between Halloween and Christmas that has an important purpose and should be recognized.
