It's STILL November Charlie Brown By: Mikayla Flanz

It's November 30, 2018. 
At the time that I am currently writing this, it's officially two hours until December 1st, so I guess it's socially acceptable to give you and start my New Year's Resolution: Be More Positive (and start my English assignments more than two hours before they are due...). So rather than writing a good four to five paragraphs about how cynical I am once the holidays are over or how much the Christmas and overall, holiday season has changed since I was a kid, I'm gonna spice things up! Because to be quite honest that can be a little depressing and of course it is the holidays.

Let's start. 
Why I love bitter cold weather, dead and shedding trees in my living room, and spending way too much money on gifts that leave me in the red going into the new year...
Never mind, I already failed by 2019 New Year's Resolution, we're going back to plan one.

Back on the topic of bitter cold weather even before December even begins... Once Halloween is over, (for us sane individuals at least) people start to crave the cozy feeling of pulling out our winter Uggs, plugging in those Christmas lights, and the sight of first snow. Sure, it's exciting to gaze out the window all bright- eyed and hopeful that school will be cancelled or at the very least delayed the following day. But I don't think those people ever lived in the upper Northeast... To us, first snow means first blizzard, which isn't that bad in the concept of it, except when this happens the second week of November. 

Yes, (for those who celebrate) everyone is praying and wishing on every star they find for a white Christmas, but the ironic thing is, for the past few years the only days that aren't similar to the climate to Siberia is over the holiday break, including Christmas Eve and day. Instead, mother nature decides to give us the finger for killing the planet by giving us a crappy hell storm of humidity, clouds, the cold, and torrential rainfall. Yay. Merry Christmas!

But, all in all, despite how much I complain on this blog about... everything, I really do like the holiday season because whether we choose to notice or appreciate them, winter in Sparta has some pretty appreciable attributes. Not limited, but including our German Christmas Market, the Tree Lighting Ceremony, the fact that we get snow at all (even though it's a pain to shovel), and ice skating on the lake. Happy (early) holidays loving readers, let's hope I actually follow through with my New Year's Resolution for my following blog posts!

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.