Time has come again to remove the plastic dead people from our lawns, and gorge ourselves on half price clearance candy. The magical October season of Halloween is over. As I entered my local big box store to replenish my stock of Diet Coke and Ramen, I was struck with the holly jolly decorations of consumerism gone awry.
There, plastered on every sign, hung from every corner of the ceiling were the merriest of Christmas decorations. Immediately my heart shrunk to three sizes too small. I felt like I had been smacked across the face with the fastest seasonal transition in recorded history. Less than 24 hours has passed between the ghoulish decor and Christmas themed madness. Not even Santa could survive this level of whip lash.
It is too early for Christmas decorations. While I love Christmas spirit as much as the next person, the last time I checked it was the twelve days of Christmas, not the two months. I do not want to live in a world where my holiday spirit is driven by capitalistic competition. Christmas is a time of giving, and I adore the idea of celebrating generosity among family and friends. And yes, I do have a moment for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But the celebration of his birth should not by dictated by when big business decides the Christmas season should begin.
I refuse to let shiny ornaments hijack my autumn. I will only get the privilege of viewing the seasons change so many times in my life. I do not want the spectacle of color that is fall to be surpassed by plastic tinsel and tacky blow up penguins. As a basic white girl, I would like a decent amount of time to enjoy my pumpkin patch picture opportunities, and to sip a pumpkin spice latte before I have to switch over to peppermint mochas. November is one of the best months of the year and it deserves an adequate amount of revelry. November deserves walks in the parks, children jumping leaves, and sweater weather. It is too good for endless commercials about holiday savings and forced festive cheer.
Thanksgiving deserves more attention also. We have an entire holiday to give thanks for the people we love, the opportunities we have, and the ridiculous amounts of food I have been waiting all year to share with my favorite people. I suggest that before we spend hours waiting in line to take pictures with a sweat guy in a stained polyester suit, we spend just one month going out of our way to be thankful. Before we begin the season of giving, lets remember the season of thankfulness.
Christmas has its time and place, and it begins the day after Thanksgiving. So wait a little longer to break out the Mariah Carey and Bing Crosby CDs and go thank your loved ones for putting up with your festive none sense.
