In my neighborhood, Christmas decorations appeared on Veterans Day--November 11.
It wasn't just one or two houses; it was entire blocks, fully illuminated in festive decor. I was driving in the dark on November 12 and thought I had entered a rupture in the space/time continuum. Wait...wasn't it still two weeks until Thanksgiving?
What is up with this frantic rush to year-end? Whatever happened to celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, which once upon a time was a treasured tradition? Thanksgiving is the only truly American holiday, but it has been all but eliminated by the stampede to Christmas. If it weren't for the enduring popularity of turkey and trimmings, Thanksgiving would probably be a mere memory by now.
My Christmas tree isn't set up yet, nor are any of my yuletide decorations. I'll do that this weekend. There's plenty of time until Christmas, nearly three weeks. When they do go up, my decorations will stay put until the Church celebrates the wise men arriving in Bethlehem, the feast of Epiphany in January. As usual, I'll be the last one in my neighborhood to wait until the Twelve Days of Christmas are completed to store away my seasonal items. All those trees tossed at the curb or dumped in lots on December 26 are being thrown out on the second day of Christmas.
These days it seems that Christmas expires faster than leftover turkey. 'Tis the season to hurtle ahead, I suppose. But I'm in no rush. Cheers to a long and leisurely Christmas season.
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| The Twelve Days of Christmas ~ December 25 to January 6 |
