Column: Christmas in October is not for me

  • Melissa Herrera (COLUMN)
  • October 28, 2013
  • 419
                        
Column summary: How early is too early to start decorating for the holidays? My answer is the day after Thanksgiving - and not one minute earlier. Every year around this time I start losing my mind. I walked into a store the other day and found Christmas items where I was looking for fall items. Now mind you, I’m all about getting ahead of the game, but it seems every year that it’s earlier and earlier that they roll out the old Christmas carols and start playing them endlessly. Wrapping paper, bows, and tinsel find their way into the aisles of my favorite stores and my holiday headache begins. I may sound like a Scrooge, but trust me, I’m the most tolerant person there is. I just want to enjoy my fall until the day after Thanksgiving. My co-workers have an ongoing joke that goes something like this, “Hey Missy, when can I start decorating for Christmas? When is it too early?” They know what my answer will be because I give it every year. “Not one ornament or light will go up in my house until the day after Thanksgiving.” Then we all cackle and the discussion about what to decorate and put up this year continues. Me, I put cotton in my ears so I don’t have to hear it. I love Christmas. I just don’t love Christmas in October. Furthermore, I don’t love Christmas in November. Yes, I attend numerous Christmas open houses in November and enjoy them. I may even buy some things, but my house will remain non-festive until my turkey has been digested. I had someone ask me if I have Thanksgiving decorations. To this I replied, yes, I have wax turkeys that need be gotten out and displayed with care. These have been passed down in my family and have graced nearly every Thanksgiving table I can remember. I look forward to seeing their waxiness every year and if Santa and all his reindeer are in the way then my turkeys get lost – and what a shame that would be. I get excited for Christmas. I really do. I just don’t want to be sick of it when it actually rolls around, which is exactly what happens when people start going crazy a bit early. One of my co-workers actually admitted that the day after Christmas she is ready to tear down her tree already. Horror of horrors, my Christmas tree has to be up until after New Years….if not a few weeks into January. Why? Because I didn’t put it up the day after Halloween! And a plus is that I’m not so sick of it that I can look at all the half price Christmas décor and snap it up for a bargain. Hey, you can celebrate any holiday however you want. You can put Santa coming down your chimney before the end of October, you can even start stringing lights. Just don’t come to me asking what my Christmas plans are because I’ll still be eating my pumkin pie and leftover Halloween candy.


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