A Very Unseasonable Christmas by Kristen Bradish

In the past, the anticipation for Christmas usually doesn't commence until after Thanksgiving. Well this year, the onset has been moved up to November 1st. Even on October 31st, I had a friend who was counting down the hours till Christmas. I can't help but find myself watching Holiday Hallmark movies and humming to Jingle Bells. I presume it all started when everyone went into an immediate Christmas frenzy on November 1st. With so many people posting and tweeting about Christmas, I worried myself into thinking that I was procrastinating Christmas. Of course, looking back now, I probably didn't need to go out and do all my Christmas shopping the second week of November, but at least now future Kristen has one less thing to stress over. Nevertheless, Christmas has been slowly wedging itself into the Thanksgiving season more and more as the years go by. Some people claim that they are devoted to Thanksgiving up until Black Friday, but then why are they permitting this madness to happen? Why would they allow stores to put up Christmas decorations on November first?  The last time I went to the store, Christmas decor was 60% off. It was November seventh. Stores are going to be drained of inventory by the time that Christmas truly comes around. Micheal's should indeed rethink their sales approach if they want to last the whole season.

I understand that some have decided to celebrate Christmas for a few weeks, honor Thanksgiving for a day, and then convert back to Christmas mode. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas just as much as the next crazy 16-year-old obsessed with Bath and Body Works' holiday fragrances. I feel like by the time December hits, everyone will be tired of Christmas. The jolly music will sound like nails on a chalkboard and Yuletide decorating will just be seen as another hassle on the to-do list. I want to preserve the magic. All good things must come to an end and I prefer that the magic of Christmas not come to a close before the holiday even starts.