As I drove up to my local grocery store today, November 10th, 45 days until Christmas, there they were:

Christmas Trees for Sale. Gone are the mums, scare crows, skeletons and pumpkins. The haunted houses, haunted corn fields and haunted car washes have all shut down. The tiny humans dressed as monsters, princesses and superheroes who trespass on your property in search for candy (AKA trick-or-treaters) have all gone home. I guess my local grocery store thinks they’ve exited with the last remnants of fall and we only have Christmas to look forward.

But what about Thanksgiving. Although I’m not the biggest fan of force feeding myself Turkey (the one day of the year I’ll eat it), I am a fan of the gatherings. It’s easy to get too busy to spend time with your extended family throughout the year, but Thanksgiving is a built in day to make time for each other. Share a meal, share memories, tell stories and catch up on all the things you’ve missed since the last time you were together. With the covid shutdown we’ve experienced over the past few years, for some of us it could be the first time in years we’ve seen each other. Don’t overlook Thanksgiving. Don’t let the bright lights of Christmas trees and the thought of listening to Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is You” cause you to forget about Thanksgiving. So tell your local grocery store you will NOT be purchasing their trees just yet. Enjoy thanksgiving with the people you love most, stuff your face with turkey, or whatever meal your family loves, watch a little football, if you’re into that kind of thing, and relax.

Then, if you celebrate Christmas, wake up with me on Black Friday, put on your Christmas pajamas, turn on the Christmas music and start putting up the Christmas decorations!

Happy Holidays everybody!