One holiday at a time, please!

Last time I checked the calendar I believe it said September 18th. Not October, not November, and certainly not December! I was in Costco a couple of weeks ago and saw Christmas decorations…what?!?! Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas just as much as the next person, really…I love the lights, the trees, the sparkles…but I also like Halloween and Thanksgiving. How fair is it to rob these holidays of their time in the limelight?

When I was young, Christmas decorations did not come out in the stores until after Thanksgiving. The wait and anticipation made it that much more exciting. Now, I see decorations before I see Halloween items. How can I get into the Christmas spirit when there are skulls and monsters hanging out in the next aisle?! How can I get geared up to be a ghoul or witch when there are happy, sparkly Santa’s, Elves, garland, and blinking Christmas lights right next door?

And poor Thanksgiving. It just kind of gets lost in the myriad of furry spiders, skeletons with eyes that light up, nativity scenes, and wreaths.

Maybe this year I’ll dress the kids up as elves, give them stockings to collect their Halloween candy and pass out turkey legs. Since the stores are so hell-bent on combining the holidays, as of November 1st I can just cruise through the rest of the year while everyone else around me stresses about family gatherings and finding the perfect gifts. Hmmm, now that I think about it, maybe they are onto something!