My family’s record for keeping up our fake Christmas tree (our real one dies after a time, of course) after Christmas is, I believe, around mid-March.

That was an excessive year and our prolonged Christmas spirit had less to do with the warm, cozy feelings of the holiday and more to do with a lack of time and motivation. But as a person who adores the holidays and winter in general, who starts singing Christmas carols before Thanksgiving and who spends 10 ½ months a year waiting for December, I firmly believe that this holiday should be extended as long as possible.

But for you Ebenezers, my wanting to keep the cheer and warmth and good feelings of the holidays through at least New Years is apparently physically repulsive.

What exactly is your issue with this? And on top of that, why the heck do you care if certain people like to listen to Christmas music a little early?

Good gracious, the amount of times I’ve heard lamentations on the evil of hearing George Michael's angelic voice sing about heartbreak in a holiday-themed song in November is frankly ridiculous. The song is called “Last Christmas” so if you want to get technical, that’s appropriate all year.

But one of the saddest moments of the holidays is the last time I walk outside and see no remnants of decor, of speciality, of cheer and we are brought back to the bland browns of the year. I get that it has to happen at some point, but what in the world are you people thinking to push such a depressing moment so close to the holiday itself?

Our Christmas lights are still going strong, and I don’t want to get dramatic on you guys, but our sparkling splendor of happiness in the dark bleakness and blahs of suburban life is freaking going strong.

So just let it, dammit.