Why are we in such a damned rush to get the decorations hung about our homes and yards?
The homes around us started right after Halloween. Following quick math, that’s two months of potential Christmas cheer. Two months of inflated Santa Clauses, the before and after nativity scenes, reindeer parts and other Chinese-crafted, LED illuminated, plastic holiday cheer.
I know, Christmas is awesome. I’m sure Chanukah and the other end of year festivals are great too, but in America, it’s mostly Christmas. I’m will not dignify the crap that follows this topic. The folks that spaz out over the greeting “Merry Christmas” need to ease up a few notches, and the folks that spaz out over “Happy Holidays” need a percocet and a copy of the Bill of Rights.
So under the premise that Christmas is awesome, I understand why people would be anxious to celebrate it. I like my Birthday (or at least used to before I turned 30), but I don’t go prodding for Birthday wishes a month before it comes up. Why don’t you see this sort of hysteria over any other holidays?
Frankly for me, Christmas is egg nog, a (realistic) pine tree and Nat King Cole. A glowing altar on my home’s exterior never really attached itself to my fondness of the season. It almost feels like a competition in suburbia – who can really show it up for Christ’s birthday. Maybe it’s part American competitiveness, part kissing up to the king of kings. Not sure. Either way, it’s quite gaudy and in my mind, is close to warranting federal regulation (clearly since that did a great deal of good on Wall Street).
All I’m saying is, let me enjoy Thanksgiving for what it’s worth without stepping outside and momentary loss of bearing. Give the leaves a chance to fall before you start stringing up the garland and fire-hazard lights, mm-kay?