For some folks it’s time to put up the Christmas decorations as soon as Halloween is over. Not me. I like the holiday season, with all its glitter and cheer, but I don’t start prematurely. I want November to be November.
Like many folks, I don’t like the earlier and earlier encroachment of the Christmas season. Depending on the neighborhood, November may as well be pre-December, with twinkling lights and inflatable lawn ornaments. Thanksgiving becomes an afterthought and the Christmas music already begins.
But I think November needs to be its own thing, with Thanksgiving getting the same holiday hype as Halloween and Christmas.
Thanksgiving, for me, is a great holiday. There’s no pressure to have a clever costume like Halloween or worry about breaking your budget on gifts like Christmas. Thanksgiving is just about having as big a dinner as you can manage, and if you can’t do it on your own it’s the spirit of the holiday to chip in and bring some food for the collective table. Not every family gets along, so Friendsgiving is becoming an increasingly popular choice. It’s simply about being around people you’re thankful for, whether they’re blood or chosen family or both.
And if you think I’m being unfair to Christmas by saying it needs to stay in its own month, I say the same about Halloween. It’s been documented how much I adore Halloween, but I don’t like “spooky season” starting in September and seeing Halloween decorations start to show up in stores in late August also irritates me. One month is enough, in my opinion. October belongs to Halloween. December belongs to Christmas/Hannukah/etc. November belongs to Thanksgiving. That’s the holiday hill I choose to die on.
So I say let November be November. Enjoy the true turning of the seasons with that late autumn sweater weather. Get ready to have that big dinner with the people you care about. Stuff yourself stupid and reflect on the good in your life.
Because when December hits I’m going to be breaking out the holiday tunes like nobody’s business.