Hold off the holidays

Enough is enough. I like Christmas just as much as the next guy, but the length of the holiday season is getting a little out of hand. I mean the local pharmacy barely lets you come down from your Halloween sugar-high before loading up the shelves with candy canes. Saturday night, November 12, I watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas on TBS. Now, I luuurrve the Grinch (cartoon version only) but seriously, November 12th? I am just not ready for this yet. I mean, I've barely begun scraping together my gift money, I've only had to wear a scarf once this season, and I haven't baked a single cookie. It can't be the holidays yet, I'm just not ready!

As a rule, I don't believe in decorating before Thanksgiving, it ruins the fun if you see ornaments and tinsel too often, plus you'll have a very dry tree on your hands by mid-December. I'm still trying to wrap my wallet around winter boots and wool coats and now you're asking me to start shopping for other people? Truly this is out of control. I don't want to see a single holly wreath or lighted tree until December 1st. Are we supposed to forget about Thanksgiving, the greatest food holiday ever invented? Here I am planning my baking schedule around pumpkin and suddenly the Peppermint Mocha has appeared at Starbucks. I can't take it, no wonder children are so wretched by Christmas morning. It's bad enough Christmas comes only once a year, but now they're taunted with Santa images before they go trick-or-treating...talk about confusing.

And I know it won't do any good, that department store windows are already dressed and carols are already sprinkling throughout regular radio programming, but nevertheless I want to plead with the media, the retailers and the Christmas enthusiasts....please, for the love of all things sacred and secular...one holiday at a time!