If it makes you happy…

You guys know what time of year it is.

It’s that in-between time of year.  For those of us up here in the Great White North, our Thanksgiving is a distant memory.  (Seriously.  It felt like it was way early this year, like it was a million years ago now.)  Our neighbours to the South will be giving thanks (and gearing up for Black Friday) tomorrow.

Halloween was a few weeks ago, and the ghosts and skeletons have long since been put away.  (Though a bucket of candy still sits on my dining room table, and I still have mini chocolate bars abound.  Don’t judge.)

Yes.  It’s that time of year.  I still have out my gourds and fall leaves and little pumpkins, but they just don’t feel right anymore.  I’m getting the itch, more and more with each passing day, to bust out the holly and the snowmen and the jingle bells.

And yet, there’s a part of me that feels it’s still just a teensy bit early.

It’s been a common topic of discussion over the past few weeks on my Facebook newsfeed.  Slowly, my friends’ statuses are rolling around to the Christmas theme…

“Is it too early to start listening to Christmas music?”  “I’m putting up my Christmas tree today!!”  “My shopping is allllmost done…”  “Going to watch Elf tonight!  Yipee!”

There’s a part of me that bubbles with excitement and yearns to join them.  And also a part of me that wants to cry out, “RELAX dudes.  It’s not time yet!!!”  There’s also a clear divide in the people who comment out there – the ones who cry, “Go for it!!”, and the ones who lament, “It’s way too frigging early.”

Yesterday, I even saw my cousin Bucky write on a friend’s enthusiastic Christmas post:  “You’re making me hate Christmas.”

Honestly, I giggled when I saw this post from The Bloggess (aka Jenny) last week, where she’s outraged by her neighbour taking down the Halloween decorations and putting up the Christmas ones all on the same day.  But she’s kind of right.  Doesn’t it feel like everyone’s taken their healthy dose of Holiday Pills maybe just a *wee* bit early this year?

I’d say at least half my little town has their Christmas lights up and on already.  When I went for my walk last night - (yes, I’m braving the mean streets of Q-town in the dark this week, because…well…I need to.  I’ll risk my life for exercise, that’s how damned dedicated I am.) – I was surprised to see so many Christmas trees were already up and on display in front windows.

It feels really frigging early.

Maybe that’s because growing up, my parents never decorated early.  My Dad’s birthday was December 10th, and the weekend closest to his birthday was usually the time my mom would let us drag out the tree and get the decorations out.  Dad always had the outside lights up when it was semi-warm in November, but refused to turn them on until the first of December.

Now, as an adult decorating on my own, I do like to get the holiday cheer rolling just a little bit earlier at my joint.  I generally put my decorations up in late November/early December.  And that feels acceptable to me.   I love how my house looks when Christmas has puked all over it.  And I must confess… I’ve already listened to my Bieber Christmas CD several times.  (but not much because Dallas Smith is still reigning supreme on my jukebox.)

On the flip side, I’ve been thinking quite a bit about happiness these days. To be fair, that’s probably because my book club is reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  But it also ties in with this way-too-early explosion of Christmas spirit being displayed by so many this year (and it feels like more and more are catching on to it every year.)

Really, are they causing any harm?  Is putting up your tree on the third of November a crime?  Is busting out your Bieber Christmas CD two months in advance going to hurt anyone?

In the wise words of Sheryl Crow, if it makes you happy…it can’t be that bad.

There’s a lot of things to worry about each and every day, a lot of bad news on our TV screens and newspaper pages, a lot of reasons to cry and feel sad.

So I say, if putting up your decorations and getting in the festive spirit brings you joy, and eases some of the stress that often comes with the holiday season, then just go for it. 

There will always be the Grinches and Scrooges of the world who say, “It’s too soon!!  You people are nuts!!  Calm the F down!!!”

I say if it makes your days a little merrier, and a little more bright…then it’s never too soon.

On Friday evening, I’m going to see the “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” Cabaret production in our neighbouring town, and I’m hoping it puts me in the mood, because I’m planning to decorate on Saturday.  I’m pretty sure that will be the earliest I’ve ever decorated before, but hell…

Everybody’s doing it.