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.