Too early for Christmas

I love Christmas more than anybody on the planet. Seriously. I love the twinkling lights of the houses, and the Christmas trees, and the cookies, and the music, and the movies. I love pretty much everything about Christmas but what I love most is the timing. In my opinion, Christmas-y behavior is appropriate after Thanksgiving. The day after Thanksgiving is when the movies should start, and the music can be played and the decorations can be put up. But, what I have noticed recently is that Christmas came too early this year, way too early.

I didn't really notice that Christmas was all around me until Saturday at the Mall of America. My mom and I had just walked in and a heard a little snippet of a conversation a middle aged man was having with his wife. "WHAT IS GOING ON?!" He yelled half laughing half serious. "I don't get! It's not even Thanksgiving yet! Why are the tree's up! What is this music!?". I didn't even know what he was talking about until I looked around. Christmas trees everywhere, ornaments hanging from the ceiling and Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" playing in the background. I was shocked. My first thought was "Damn, why didn't they just start this in September". And then I remembered, they did. Well not the MOA exactly, but Costco has had blow up snowmen since late September. A house just down the street has had lights up since Halloween. This is ridiculous. As I get older, I get more and more upset when people start celebrating Christmas early. Does this make me a Scrooge? I hope not but seriously, Christmas before Thanksgiving is just not right.

I don't know what it is. Is it my age? When I was little, I would have celebrated Christmas before Thanksgiving, hell, I would have celebrated it before Labor Day but now it just seems wrong. I think celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving makes Christmas a little less special so stop. If you're one of those people just stop. Thanks and happy holidays.