I used to dread it as a child - the day after Thanksgiving.

Because I knew that's when the Christmas decorations would make their way out of the shed only to cover the back deck until we sorted through them all.

Don't get me wrong, I love decorating as well as interior design during all times of the year, Christmas is no exception. But I'm not even kidding when I say my mother has over 20 plastic tubs dedicated to Christmas decorations alone. And our entire shed, or the playhouse that was my older sisters many years ago, has been repurposed for the sole destiny of housing decorations...for one holiday.

I love my mother and I love Christmas, but as a child, I hated having to dig through all the tubs and decide what we'd put up that year. All I wanted to do was read or watch TV while I continue to break out of my food coma from the day before.

However, all that dread of having to actually do work over the Thanksgiving break from school has now turned into thankfulness itself. Don't get me wrong, I'd still rather relax than spend an entire day going through boxes out in the cold weather...I haven't exactly come to love that yet.

But I have noticed that, as I get older, I really am turning into my mother when it comes to getting into a "Christmas-y" mood way too early. I guess it's true what they say, you really do start to turn into your parents the older you get!

I'm not even lying when I say that, once it hit midnight the day of (or I guess after, however you choose to look at it) Halloween, my roommates broke out the Christmas music and Santa hats. We've had a six-foot tree up in our living room since I'm pretty certain the weekend after Halloween. And I've had my room at college decorated with a mini tree, Christmas lights, and ornaments hanging from my windows since before mid-November.

And I'm not ashamed! Or embarrassed!

When I was a kid, I used to tell my mom the week before Thanksgiving that it was way too early to break out Christmas stuff, and that even the day after Thanksgiving was too soon. Now I come home for the weekend in early November blaring Michael Bublé's Christmas album down the interstate.

Just like Thanksgiving, Christmas is not a holiday...it's a state of mind and a way of living.

Everyone likes presents, but my favorite part of the holiday has always been the decorations and the joy that it brings people. And the food, of course. Now that I'm at college, the only time I get real, homecooked southern food anymore is when I'm home for the holidays!

I absolutely adore when the leaves change color and I can start wearing my sweater/scarf/boot combos again, but I've started wanting to celebrate Christmas earlier and earlier every year!

I don't really know how to slow that down, but frankly, I don't want to! Just allow me to wear my fall colors while simultaneously listening to Christmas music or watching a Christmas movie. Trust me, I'm having the best of both worlds in that situation!