Do you know why I love this country? Because, at least for the time being, we are free. I am free to sing Christmas songs in June, free to put up my tree in October and free to take it down around Valentine’s Day, or whenever I deem fit. I make these choices completely on my own and have no one, alright no one except my husband, to face regarding my actions.
Do you know what I hate about this country? So many free Americans forget that because we are free that also means we are all different. We seem to live in a society filled with such narcissism that others possessing different opinions in how they live their daily lives does not compute.
I get it. A large percentage of Americans can’t deal with the thought of putting up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving. They think one little Christmas tree in the corner of the living room suddenly means that Thanksgiving has been shoved by the wayside and Christmas has prematurely taken the spotlight.
At least for this Crazy Christmas Lady, that is not true.
In just a few short days, we will celebrate my favorite holiday: Thanksgiving.
Yes, in spite of my radio station already tuned to Christmas music and my Christmas tree already warming my living room with its majestic presence and soft glow of lights, Thanksgiving is truly my favorite holiday. Thanksgiving kicks off weeks of celebrating with family and friends and a kind of gifting and merriment that I have yet to see continually replicated during any other time of year.
For me Thanksgiving and Christmas are one and the same. At Thanksgiving, we are thankful. At Christmas, we cherish the things for which we are thankful. Sounds like a tag team effort if you ask me.
I find as each year passes that the time slips quicker and quicker from my grasp. It was only September last week, wasn’t it? And though I can still count the days until Thanksgiving, soon I will only count the hours, and then it will be one more sleep and Thanksgiving will be here and gone faster than it should.
So why do I decorate early? Why do I plan and prep weeks in advance for my small part of Thanksgiving? (Breakfast, in case you haven’t heard, it isn’t to be missed!) Why do I mourn the radio stations cutting the Christmas music at midnight on Christmas Day? Why do I ignore that it is Valentine’s Day and I am still passing Santa statues and red and green trees scattered around my house?
I want to cling to every piece of the season that I can. That means starting with a childlike eagerness all too soon. It means planning for five desserts at Thanksgiving breakfast, and ending up with fifteen. It means purchasing gifts with my only thought being the look on the recipient’s face. It means surrounding myself with pumpkin spice and Christmas tree scents. It means letting Thanksgiving and Christmas overlap.
Though I’m certainly not wishing to take away your freedom from celebrating when and how you choose, it is my hope that the Crazy Christmas Ladies and the Not-So Crazy Christmas Folks can live happily, side by side, agreeing together on one thing: we all have so much to be thankful for and to cherish. Let us not forget it, nor allow ourselves to grow comfortable boxing it into this time of year.
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