The holiday season is here already?
Something strange has happened to the calendar.
November has disappeared.
It’s Election Day, and my morning commute has taken me past storefronts decked out in reds and greens, complete with trimmed trees, twinkling lights and sparkly garland.
“Christmas is only 50 days away!” a piece of junk email screams at me later in the day.
And Santa’s arrival by horse-drawn carriage at a local mall is being heralded a full two weeks before Thanksgiving.
At what point did we start ho, ho, ho-ing our way through November, giving a mere tip of the hat to Thanksgiving?
Christmas creep has crept – no, make that marched – right through November, and is showing no signs of stopping until October. Could Halloween be its next victim?
I remember a time not so long ago when Thanksgiving and Christmas were treated with sanctity. Nary a decoration was hung, nary a Christmas carol crooned until the last of the turkey leftovers was stowed in the fridge. No early-bird or midnight madness sales kicked off the holiday shopping season on Thanksgiving Day.
Consumerism, it would seem, has gobbled up Thanksgiving and the trimmings, too. While I appreciate the role a robust holiday shopping season plays in sustaining the nation’s work force and economy, I can’t help but long for those simpler times. A few carefully chosen gifts were purchased in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. On Christmas Eve, they were retrieved from their hiding spot, wrapped in colorful Christmas paper and placed beneath the tree. The delicious anticipation of what was inside the packages was transcended by the anticipation of reuniting with family and friends separated by distance and circumstance.
The gifts are long forgotten, but the fellowship from those Christmases past remains etched in my memory.
To borrow a line from the beloved Dr. Seuss’ Grinch: “Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas … perhaps … means a little bit more!”
Hope your holidays are memorable!