Let me start by saying that I love Christmas. I love the lights; I love the celebrations, and I love the love itself that permeates the season.
But I usually am a bit of an Ebenezer Wojo in that I don’t want it to start until after Thanksgiving.
Many times, in October, I would be harrumphing my way around the mall, ticked off that fall, which had recently begun in real life, was evidently gone the way of the dodo bird—at least for that year—and replaced with animatronic Santas, smiling creepy smiles, or Snowmen sporting top hats and scarves (and where are the Snowwomen? Probably taking care of the snowkids and the snowdogs and the snowhouse…but I digress…). There would be reindeer and sparkling lights and perhaps even a manger or two.
And I would hate it.
One year, my husband and I went shopping after Labor Day, and I found Christmas decorations already up in a couple of stores. Ugh! For a moment, I thought that the least of my worries would be complaining about this ridiculously early Christmas because I thought I would pass out from the quick rise in my blood pressure.
I hoped that if I did, I would, um, accidently knock over a couple of displays as I stumbled about. But, ahem, not for revenge or anything.
Folks who would tell me in July that they had finished all their Christmas shopping and even done some wrapping, well, that would appall me! If they had all this done, what would they be doing when the holidays actually came? If their cards were written and the cookies made, would they just sit there during the month of December, twiddling their thumbs and looking at their glittery decorations?
ACK!
So you get the idea—I love Christmas, but not until after Thanksgiving.
Imagine my surprise—dare I say complete and utter shock—when I realized this year that I wasn’t doing my usual “get really ticked off about the holidays” when I saw Christmas decorations in October. In fact, they made me happy…
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
I was really looking forward to Christmas. I found myself examining decoration displays at stores and wondering how I could change things at my home. I looked at ads and thought about how my husband and I could add lights to the outside of our house and front porch this year. I even clipped recipes out of magazines to make during the holiday season and then—GASP!—bought some of the ingredients…on sale…
What on earth has happened to me? I was in love with all things Christmas two months before the actual holiday!
I’ve come to the conclusion that I must have become a Pod Person. Don’t know what that is? It’s the alien life forms that replaced regular human beings in the classic movie “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” Except, in this case, my replacement being wasn’t emotionless. In fact, I was gushing about the Christmas season.
But this just wasn’t me…
I came close to telling my husband that I wanted to decorate the house in early November. But it was the middle of October at the time. He had the television on and begun a tradition that we had once shared: he was complaining about the Christmas ads already showing up.
“Why can’t they wait until after Thanksgiving?” he asked.
In years past, I would have agreed with him. But this year, I knew better.
I’ve been married long enough to know that while you can “stir up the pot” sometimes, you also have to know when to let things be.
So I held out from telling him…
Until the day after Halloween.
He thinks it’s hilarious that a once “No Christmas Until After Thanksgiving” devotee has already bought new decorations, planned a Cookie Share, and is thinking of doing a funny family newsletter.
As for the decorating itself, well, we’re doing that the day after Thanksgiving.
I do, after all, know that some things, no matter how much we want them to, just can’t be rushed.
Michele Wojciechowski, when she’s not watching the clock and waiting for the day after Thanksgiving to get here, writes Wojo’s World™ from Baltimore.