On November 1st, my phone blew up with Snapchat videos of everyone blasting Christmas music and that used-so-often-it-is-not-funny-anymore meme with Dwight from "The Office" when his head was stuck in the pumpkin next to Dwight in his elf costume.
Um, excuse me? What day do these people think it is? I think they forgot about that magical holiday us Americans celebrate in the fabulous month of November. You know, the one where everyone spends hours making food that we plow through in under thirty minutes to the point where we can hardly walk and end up falling asleep during the football game. First of all, can we just appreciate how "American" that sentence was? Secondly, I'm talking about Thanksgiving!
The end of the spooky season does not mark the beginning of "blast my Christmas music as loud as I can" season.
Yes, I heard the girl already wearing her Christmas leggings and jingle bell earrings gasp as she read that sentence.
Now, before you close this article and restart Kelly Clarkson's Christmas album (which I highly recommend once November 23rd hits,) hear me out. If we spend two months celebrating one holiday, will it not eventually lose its effect? I'm sure some of you remember that ancient time period when the After-Thanksgiving Sales were actually after Thanksgiving. It was a beautiful time. We prepared for family dinners, enjoyed time with family, and then woke up early the next morning to go fight a woman in a bubblegum pink tracksuit for the new Pillow Pets.
Everything was separated. It was like a nice Thanksgiving plate. Nothing overlapped but kept to its own space. Just as the cranberry sauce messes up the meal when it creeps over to sweet potatoes, so does Christmas when it gets put before Thanksgiving. "Thanksgiving Season" (as I proudly call it) lasts for less than a month. Can we really not focus less than a month on how blessed we are? Be thankful. Show love to your family and friends even when you don't have peppermint hot cocoa and a new sweater in your hand.
As for all my fellow Christians reading this, I know what your argument is: we need the extra time to celebrate the real reason for the season. In all honesty, do we even celebrate Christ anymore during the holiday season than during the rest of the year? Christmas in America is defined by elaborately decorated trees, secular movies, and classic songs redone by Father Christmas himself, Michael Bublé. Sure, we throw in an extra church service here or there, and devote more time to serving others, but are we actually using this holiday to grow closer to God?
Yeah, I went there, but that conversation is for another time.
If we all had to decide on an official spokesperson for Thanksgiving, my vote would 100% go to my mom. Just this past weekend, she covered her eyes as we encountered a Christmas display in the mall just days after Halloween. And if that wasn't enough for my poor mother, she had to cover her ears as well when an angsty remix of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was blasted through the speakers of Forever 21. As all you holiday-mixers are putting up your trees and lights the week after Halloween, my mom is dusting off our miniature figurines of the first Thanksgiving to put on top of the mantle, and setting up anything with a turkey on it in every free space of our house. Even a few of mine and my sister's hand-turkeys make a reappearance. My mom always made sure we made one every year. The last one I made was done a couple months before I turned sixteen. Age is but a number, my friends.
Personally, I can never understand why Thanksgiving is not appreciated more. You never have to buy gifts for anyone. There are no decorations expected out of you. Your family members always have a funny tale or two to tell. Plus, it is practically expected of you to drift off into a blissful nap while watching football.
And let's not forget how amazing the food is.
This year, try to give Thanksgiving a little extra love. Light a nice fall-scented candle. Channel your inner Martha Stewart and set up a nice acorn or leaf centerpiece. Maybe wait an extra week before untangling all the lights and fighting with the oversized tree. Wait until the actual day after Thanksgiving before windmilling some lady for a top that will be out of style in two years anyway. Or you can just sit back and let the holiday happen, actually taking a moment to be thankful for what you have been blessed with. Enjoy the simpleness of Thanksgiving, and for the love of all things covered in gravy, do NOT let me hear your Christmas music until after that day.
