At long last, the month of December has arrived, bringing with it the season of Christmas. Or I would like to say, except many have been celebrating Christmas far before Thanksgiving.

Enjoying the moment

As a child, I remember my Thanksgivings spent hovering between the dining table and the kitchen to take scraps of food for my brother and cousins to eat away from our parents’ eyes. With food set on the table and my family gathered around, we began the prayers of thanks from each of the 11 attendees — the most tedious portion for hungry children. After Thanksgiving drew to a close, Christmas came with the wonderful decorations that would fill the house to the brim.

I always kept a healthy amount of respect for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I understood Thanksgiving was a time to give thanks for the blessings we have while Christmas was a time to enjoy and cherish family while celebrating the birth of Christ.

Yet, I have noticed a growing trend, one that cherishes Christmas before the Thanksgiving holiday has even arrived. Instead of decorating for Thanksgiving, Christmas decorations would go up and Thanksgiving dinner was held surrounded by mistletoe and wreaths instead of fall leaves and cornucopias.

Christmas creep

My family taught me to enjoy each holiday like one would dress for the weather — you would not wear a sweater in 90-degree weather. Why celebrate Christmas before Thanksgiving? Who is to blame for early Christmas music? Stores have played Christmas music and set Christmas merchandise before Thanksgiving to create a rush to buy decorations, gifts and presents sooner. This marketing tactic is known as Christmas creep.

When stores market Christmas before December begins, such as for Black Friday, people feel the need to rush through Thanksgiving dinner or skip it entirely to attend early store openings for doorbuster discounts. This past Friday, consumers left a Nike Store in Seattle, Washington destroyed. It was an ironic development since the day prior, many of these people most likely ate with their loved ones in thanks.

Leave it for December

Contrary to what many people believe, I do not hate Christmas. Winter is my favorite season — even though I have a mild form of cold urticaria, a literal allergy to cold temperatures. My happiest memories are during Christmas spent with my family and my dogs.

I find it baffling people desire to rush or skip over the seasons. Any chance during the year my family could gather around at my house was a time well-spent and I appreciated every second I could.

Thrusting the Christmas season upon people — whether it comes across as merchandise or music — only serves to stress people out further. The rush to buy impressive gifts always serves to create a sizable hole in nearly every individual’s wallet, especially with the nation barely coming out of its slump back in 2008.

I want to reiterate I do not hate Christmas and therefore there should be a level of respect left for the seasons. Christmas music is a necessary decoration for any household, but leave it for December — the true and traditional time for Christmas.