This year I saw the earliest Christmas commercial (outside of Christmas in July sales) of my life. There I am in the unnaturally hot days of September and boom! Christmas commercial during a time when the only ads I should see on my television are Labor Day and back to school sales. Now before you call me a Scrooge, allow me to explain myself.

In my mind, Christmas is the special time of year where everyone jumps into the spirit of giving and holiday cheer. Let me repeat that, the SPECIAL time of year. If we start celebrating holidays months in advance, it takes away the experience of the whole holiday. Having a Christmas tree up would seem just as normal as having a houseplant. By celebrating Christmas months in advance, you take away the magic of Christmas time. Sure, I could go to Kroger right now and buy a pack of candy canes since they're now being sold by the hundreds, but it wouldn't be special. Candy canes would just become like every other candy in stores, just another sweet treat to enjoy. No, if I'm going to enjoy a candy cane, you can bet I'll be doing it when December rolls around. You know the month when Christmas is. November is all about Thanksgiving and let's not forget that.

Even though the story of Thanksgiving was created by the Victorians, the message it's trying to convey in its horribly historically inaccurate way is a nice one. Thanksgiving is the time of year when we look back and appreciate all the gifts we have in our lives. We thank the people who help make these things possible and enjoy a day surrounded by those we love. So maybe it's time we stop treating Thanksgiving as simply a day in between Halloween and Christmas and celebrate it as a true holiday in its own right.