I have a lot... A LOT... of friends, who are very anti-early-Christmas. They write long tirades on Facebook about how we need to only have one holiday at a time, and that Black Friday shopping cancels out Thanksgiving and everything you said you were thankful for, and blah blah blah.
Yep, I said it... blah blah blah. That's what I see when people go on about it.
Side note: If you're reading this thinking "Oh wow, she's talking about me." Then join the crowd-- there are quite a few who have said these things. But don't worry, I still love ya & I wouldn't hold it against you. :)
If the season of giving turns you into an ungrateful & unthankful person, then you have problems that a holiday can't help.
I love Thanksgiving. I love Christmas. In a perfect world, I always have my Christmas cards addressed & ready to go by Thanksgiving. One year I even had them in the mail so that they arrived the day after Thanksgiving.
To me, the two holidays go hand in hand. Thanksgiving is about being thankful & Christmas is about
If the day after Thanksgiving I decide to go out and get a great deal on gifts that I want to give to my family, is that such a bad thing? I submit that it is not.
And if I put my tree up before Thanksgiving, does it mean that I can't celebrate Thanksgiving? Nope. Just means that I want to put my tree up early.
Ok yes, there are crazy people out there that do crazy things on Black Friday. But does that mean that every person going shopping on Black Friday is a ruthless, cold hearted person that wants to stomp on people to get a new Playstation? Nope. Not at all.
In fact, I've always had great experiences on Black Friday. It's actually a lot of fun. One year Josh & I went with 2 other couples to the next state over to get some great outlet deals. We literally shopped until we dropped and took turns driving back. I think all 6 of us drove at one point on the way back, and it was only a 90 minute drive! But it was so much fun, & definitely a memory I'll never forget.
So if you find yourself hating on Christmas festivities before Thanksgiving, then just take a step back & re-evaluate. Is it really such a bad thing to start celebrating early for something so awesome? Does 'the Christmas spirit' really put a damper on your Thanksgiving, or should you have a thankful heart no matter what?
Now I know what some of you are thinking- what about the every earlier opening times at stores? Yes, those drive me absolutely batty. I enjoyed the challenge of stores opening at 6am because that meant you went to bed and had to have the discipline to wake up early. But midnight? No- you just don't go to bed. And this year some stores are opening at 4pm & 6pm on Thanksgiving? I have to admit, I'm not a supporter of that. Bring on Christmas, yes, but if it actually does get in the way of celebrating Thanksgiving, then it's time to cut it off.
That being said, I'm super sad that our tree isn't up yet and my cards aren't ready to be mailed out. *sigh* Perhaps I can be super mom another day.
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