Christmas needs to back off.

Bah humbug.

A lot has been said about the rapid approach of Christmas in stores. Christmas completely dominates Thanksgiving, and the Halloween section at Target is always immediately adjacent to Christmas shit decorations. We all know this. And we know it gets earlier and earlier each year.

I saw Christmas decorates in Michael’s in JULY.

Christmas, you really need to get ahold of yourself.

As soon as November 1 hits, it’s like the seams straining to hold in Christmas just give out. Christmas explodes all over everything. Christmas music is playing, there’s suddenly glitter on everything, and there are nonstop ads for Christmas gifts.

And I can’t take it.

I’m already suffering from the deep sadness that comes with the end of the Halloween season, and being bombarded so heavily and quickly with Christmas spirit makes it that much worse. I love the fall, too, and I’m not ready to see snowflake and pine décor all over the place. November is firmly in fall territory, and that means pumpkins and leaves. DAMMIT. The snow will come soon enough, and no one needs to be bringing that shit into their houses before its time. Let the ever-fleeting autumn last just a titchy bit longer.

It's worth mentioning I haven’t been a lifelong Grinch. I LOVED Christmas as a kid – most definitely because of the gifts and the time off from school. Christmas was still great in college, when the holiday season meant I had made it through finals and had a glorious six-week break during which my responsibilities evaporated. Plus, back then, I couldn’t afford to go to stores, so the early wave of Christmas decorations was lost to me.

As an adult, I do look forward to Christmas – I really do. But adult Christmas comes with some stressors childhood Christmas did not. No more do I have an extended break – I actually get more time off for Thanksgiving than I do Christmas. And if Christmas falls in the middle of the week, that complicates travel plans significantly. You see, Christmas as a MARRIED adult is even more challenging. My family lives two hours away. James’s family lives four hours away. When I only have one full day off for the Christmas season, fitting in both families is a tall order. We have certainly done it, but only when Christmas fell on a weekend and could allow us a wee bit of extra time. And that’s not even mention the ever inconsistent weather patterns here in the Midwest.

So honestly: Thanksgiving is where it’s at. James and I both get four days off every year, and no one cares if we don’t decorate. (PS – Our house hasn’t had a Christmas tree for years, and I’m absolutely fine with it.) Thanksgiving is about family and food, but without the blast of consumerism and religion. And Thanksgiving still has the thing we all want the most: time off from work.

If you’re a Christmasy person, good for you. I hope your season is filled with all the holiday cheer you can handle.

But please, keep it to yourself until December 1.