I’m taking a break from my usual writerly fare on this blog with something fun and festive for the holidays. 

Does it seem like, with every passing year, Christmas starts a little earlier each time? It’s actually a fact. A century or two ago, depending on the culture, Christmas didn’t begin till December 24^th. A newly-decorated Christmas tree was a gift for the children of the house on Christmas morning. And in some traditions, even today, Christmas isn’t celebrated until January.

But in today’s commercialized culture, Christmas begins before Halloween. Retailers are always at least two months ahead of whatever the current season is. 

I am a big fan of Christmas, so I am totally on board with pulling out the Christmas decorations and holiday music first thing on November 1^st. So what can you do if you’re one of those people who is greatly annoyed by people like me? Well, here are my helpful hints: 

Understand that exuberant Christmas lovers are not Thanksgiving haters. I love Thanksgiving, and everything it represents: American history, focusing on gratitude, spending time with loved ones. However, there’s only so much decorating one can do with pumpkins, fall leaves, and turkey motifs. And aside from a handful of church hymns, there really isn’t such a thing as Thanksgiving music. 

Celebrating Christmas for two months can be about more than just celebrating Christmas. There are quite a few holidays in numerous cultures and religions that are all celebrated in the late fall/early winter. Even if you don’t celebrate them, just let people be festive in whatever way they want. 

Realize that Christmas in November isn’t going to go away. I can’t actually predict the future, but I am fairly confident in saying that the whole two months of Christmas thing in Western cultures probably isn’t going away any time soon. Might as well just stop trying to fight it. 

Please understand that I write this post with all kindness and with the intention of being light-hearted and humorous. I do know that many people do not celebrate Christmas in either a religious or secular sense, and I respect that. I also know that many people struggle at this time of year because of family situations or other challenges. I mean no disrespect to anyone, but I do encourage everyone, no matter your views on Christmas, to find some small way to get in on the spirit of this season with kindness, generosity, and love for all your fellow human beings. 🙂