My twelve-year old niece woke up the morning of November second and began playing holiday music and decorating her bedroom for Christmas.
Initially I was a whole lot of WTF? but then I smiled as she strung lights, and created a display of nutcrackers on top of her dresser. She’s ready for the holidays!
I’ve always said, if I could go straight from Halloween to Christmas I’d be happy.
But you know, I’m not sure that’s entirely true. As much as I dislike Thanksgiving, I need the transition. I need that little bit of time between Halloween and Christmas. I need a little bit more time with my autumn decorations. I need time to get my (Christmas) ducks in order.
That said, I visited Pier 1, Home Goods, Hallmark, and Michaels today specifically for Christmasy things. I found and purchased ornaments for both Thing 1 and Thing 2. Also Husband N. Chose one for YBW, but the line at Pier 1 was longer than I had the patience to wait in so I’ll go back.
See, I need this time.
I need to make sure I have the perfect ornaments chosen for my family. I need to make sure I snatch up all the cute wrapping paper before it’s gone. In need to make sure I see what’s out there before every place is jam-slammed with other humans.
Thanksgiving is not my thing.
I try so hard not to be a hater, you know?
I just can’t help it. I truly believe it’s nothing more than an excuse for gluttony. And of course, my mother died the week of Thanksgiving. That I could have lived without.
However, I’m doing something new this year.
I’m choosing to embrace Thanksgiving as the transition time between Halloween and Christmas. I’m going to use this time to my advantage. I’ve even invited a house full of people for the giving of thanks.
I’m going to try so hard not to be an ass about Thanksgiving. I’m accepting its placement on the calendar as a blessing. I’m not quite ready for Christmas. But I need to get ready to be.
I’ll use this time to transition from leaves and pumpkins and cotton bolls to trees and stars and all the baby Jesuses.
For me, November will become a healthy transition time between Halloween and Christmas. And though I may never come to embrace Thanksgiving, I can accept it. I can choose to celebrate it.
I’m thankful every single day of my life. Even those days when I’m a raging f**king hater. I’m grateful for the life I have, the people in it, and the love that surrounds me.
Thanksgiving is a day, just like any other. I can choose to be filled with gratitude that day too. I can accept that it’s meaningful to people who aren’t me and embrace them instead of the day.
I’m so close to being ready to pull out all the Christmas things!
I just need a bit more time to transition.
Thanksgiving provides that for me this year.
therobynbirdsnest 
See, I prefer Thanksgiving to Christmas because I can’t stand the excess, commercialism of what ‘the holidays’ have become. Thanksgiving is about food, eating, friends and family, but not gifts no one needs. Or spending money on things no one needs or wants for the sake of giving a gift.
Then again, in Canada, we have a bit of a break because Thanksgiving is in mid-October. We go all November without a holiday.
I am happy to wait until December to pull out my Christmas decorations. 😊
I love Christmas more than all the other holidays combined. For me, it’s not about that commercialism…maybe I just ignore it well? For me it’s about anticipation and joy and love.
As for gifting, with our kids, and their SOs the total is now 7. We do gifts this way, want need wear read. And it’s changed our lives!
For me Thanksgiving is more about obligation than celebration. With the exception of the Macy’s parade, I could do with out.
Honestly, for me, this difference in opinion is what makes the world go round.
And I can assure you I’ll be pulling Christmas stuff from the closet under the stairs on Black Friday! I don’t want to miss a moment of my baby Jesuses around the house! 🙂
That’s nice. 🙂 My kids, especially my daughter, is all about Xmas so we’ll be doing all the decorations etc, the cookies, and the wrapping of presents too.
There’s a really nice craft show that happens every year in late Nov early Dec called the One of a Kind show, it’s kind of based on non-massed produced items, many artists and creators started with Etsy, for example. That show, going to it and meeting with family and friends there, is what kicks off my Xmas feeling. 🙂
That sounds lovely! What a great way to kick off the season! ❤
Well, you should have been English because we don’t have Thanksgiving. That said, we don’t make such a big thing of Halloween either. And, at Christmas I’m taking myself off to the Algarve in Portugal – a Holidays solitary traveller.
I’ll bet that Christmas in your house is just perfect 💕💕💕
You’ll have a lovely time in Portugal for Christmas!
And as for Christmas here, I always think it’s perfect! ❤
I love the simplicity of Thanksgiving. It’s just a time to be together and enjoy each other’s company. It’s not a holiday I grew up with but I’ve come to love since moving to the US
I’m going to have to come to your house for Thanksgiving, Britchy! It’s not like that ’round here. It’s me slaving in the kitchen and lots of folks sitting round being useless as fuck.
You would be so very welcome! I love a houseful, the more the merrier!