In My Defense 11/3/2024

By: Jennifer Richardson Holt

I am one of those people. It is November, and as far as I am concerned now, it is Christmas time. If I didn’t have several out of the ordinary events on my schedule for the next few weekends, I would already be decorating. I know that this is a controversial stance for some people. I have seen some get terribly bent out of shape at the mere mention of the holiday before they feel that it is “appropriate”.  And when you read that last word, I need you to do the air quotes with your fingers as fervently as you possibly can.  I would tell you to do it the way my daughter does it, but I realize there are only a handful of my readers who have witnessed this. But if you could see it, the emphasizing of ridiculousness that her dramatically curled fingers make is undeniable.  Her doing this would serve well to share my sentiments on those who get their knickers in a twist at us early Christmasers.

I really do not understand why some people are so adamantly opposed to early decorating and celebration. Now, if someone is attempting to decorate your house against your will, sure that is not very nice of them. Or if someone is attempting to hold you hostage and as a form of torture make you put up your decorations earlier than you would like, then I suppose I can see the negative in that. Even I will admit that while I love the decorations being up, the making it happen bit isn’t always the most thrilling or simple process. But otherwise, as long as others are doing their own things in their own houses, I cannot possibly fathom why people get so bothered by it. I personally am not a fan of the holiday we just had at all, and I have not once ever thrown a hissy fit when someone drapes their home in spider webs (and this is a huge deal if you knew how I felt about spiders) or made their front lawn a cemetery. Not once have I ever made a fuss about such things.  And why not? Well, they aren’t doing it to my house so, if that is what tinkles their bells (or rattles their bones as the case may be), they can put up a full mortuary for all I care.   Now if you do something in an attempt to scare me, or more accurately my child, that is another story entirely and I make no apologies for the Mama Bear savagery that thou wilst bare, but that is another story.

And another thing I thoroughly do not understand is the people that argue so vehemently that we are ignoring Thanksgiving by embracing Christmas immediately after Halloween.  I saw it said on social media not long ago that Thanksgiving is a day and Christmas is a season. I think that is a very accurate statement. And I assure you when the day of Thanksgiving comes, I shall embrace it wholeheartedly without hesitation as I have no ill will toward it.  As a matter of fact, I rather like it. Apparently, people can’t grasp that you can embrace the entire season of Christmas without disregarding Thanksgiving. And, in thinking about it, if I wanted to ponder it a bit deeper and get more thoughtful and possibly slightly self-righteous about it, we shouldn’t technically need a day to remind us to be thankful for all of our blessings.   I know, that was probably a trite argument but it’s true!  I will celebrate Thanksgiving with fervor when that day comes (and hopefully be grateful all through the year) but it happens to fall squarely in the middle of the Christmas season for me.  And since one way I celebrate said season is by decorating my home and because I don’t really decorate for Thanksgiving (my fall décor has been up since mid-August) Thanksgiving will be celebrated whilst surrounded by trees, lights and stockings. Let’s face it, if such an environment makes me incapable of being thankful, well then, I have a much bigger problem on my hands than the timeframe in which I deck my halls.

I suppose this whole blog was a bit of a vent. My face literally crinkles into a scowl when I see the memes of a turkey trying to fight Santa Claus because he is trying to encroach on his territory. First of all, that seems to me like Mr. Tom Featherbottom is being depicted in a light that is a tad despicable. He is the representative of a day of being grateful for all the things one takes for granted and I most assuredly do not think he would act in such a manner, and toward a Saint no less!  Now yes, I do in fact understand that while he is the representative of the day, we do celebrate by eating him, but I feel like that is a moot point. I mean if anything he would be urging people to revel in Christmas to the point that they forget about Thanksgiving altogether in the hopes of saving his own skin.  Well, breasts and drumsticks may be more accurate however, the skin of a deep-fried turkey is beyond glorious, but I digress.

I hope you all will forgive me that I just flung at you my defense of the actions that I will soon be taking, as soon as I can find the time.  Christmas is my absolute most favorite of all holiday seasons and I want to enjoy it for as long as I possibly can. For me this means getting my home in the festive spirit as early as possible, especially since, while he too loves the decorations and encourages them early, my husband is a staunch remover of the decorations once the calendar reaches December 26^th.  Now if you personally want to have your house filled with gourds, turkeys and overflowing cornucopias until Black Friday you are more than welcome to do so, and I am sure it will be lovely. But as for me and my house, since it is November, I will find time as soon as humanly possibly to give everyone who visits my home, a chance to steal a kiss under the mistletoe by the light of a nine-foot tree.  Because tis the season.