Why I'm Not Ashamed to Proclaim That I Love Thanksmas

This is the time of year when people start to divide a bit down the line of, "It's too early for Christmas!" and, "Let's put up the Christmas decorations!"  It seems that more and more people are starting to demand that we wait until after Thanksgiving to start celebrating Christmas.  They say that we are forgetting a holiday by putting up Christmas decorations or listening to Christmas music before turkey-day has ended.  If that is your opinion, then, you are certainly entitled to it.  I, however, tend to lean far to the other side.  In fact, November 1st has been known as Christmas Tree Day in my house since I first had my own house about 12 years ago. This is the day that I traditionally put up my Christmas decorations.  I'm sure that many of you have a scowl on your face or have just confirmed that I am, in fact, insane, and that's okay.  But if you keep reading, maybe you'll get a sense of my reasoning.  You may still disagree and I don't expect you to run to the attic to get out your tree, but I hope you will at least begin to understand why Thanksmas--that period of time between Halloween and the day after Thanksgiving--is a very important time to celebrate Christmas for me and my family.
I remember being in a Christmas play at church when I was little and one of the songs was called, "365 Days of Christmas Each Year." It was all about how we should always have the spirit of Christmas in our hearts.  I guess I have just taken that very literally. I feel like, if Christmas is truly "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" we may as well celebrate it as long as possible.  While I am willing to concede that Halloween can in no way be tied in with the other holidays, I feel that Thanksgiving and Christmas are so intertwined in meaning and sentiment that it is very easy to celebrate both of these holidays simultaneously.
I also feel that we have a tendency to focus on the "Thankful" part of Thanksgiving--which is a wonderful thing to focus on--and forget about the "Giving" part.  Christmas can help us balance that. If we are focused on giving during this time of year-while we are doing Christmas shopping and planning celebrations, chances are that we are going to have a lot more joy in our lives.  For the longest time, my favorite part of Christmas has been trying to figure out what I  can get my family members that will really shock and amaze them, make them feel like I really took some time to get them something meaningful.  That's the giving part of Thanksgiving crossing into the Christmas spirit.
I believe in magic, not in a "Harry Potter" kind of way but in a "miracle" sense, that we can truly bring magic into other people's lives through the way that we treat them, by the way that we encourage and support them. I'm so blessed to work in an environment where I get to connect with hundreds of precious children each day.  Nothing makes me happier than seeing a child react to me as if they believe my only purpose in entering the school that day was to visit with them.  There's magic in that.

Lucy last Christmas

And Christmas time is magical!  There's just something about this time of year that makes the world sparkle a little brighter.  I want that feeling everyday, not just for three weeks out of the year. If I can take it and stretch it into seven weeks, I'm all about that.
I love Christmas lights and decorations. If I could keep them up all year, I probably would.  Twinkling lights, snowmen, Santa Claus, I love it all. I want to look at my Christmas decorations for as long as I can.  I keep my manger out all year now, too, because it serves as a reminder not only of what Christmas is all about, but more importantly, what life is all about.  I believe Christmas keeps Christ at the forefront of our thoughts--mine anyway--in a way that nothing else does and if I am celebrating Christmas longer it's simply another way to make sure I am living for Christ.
I honestly feel like I am genetically inclined to love all things Christmas. My mom put up the Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving because, as she explained, my aunt would come for Thanksgiving and we would have our Christmas then. However, I honestly think she would have put it up early anyway because my mom loved Christmas almost as much as I do.  And I am using past-tense not because my mom is no longer with us but because she is in a different circumstance now where Christmas and life in general have changed for her.  If she was still the person I grew up with, I'm quite sure her Christmas tree would be going up in the next week, too.  My daughters both love Christmas as much as I do as well.  Lucy hasn't quite learned to express her obsession the way that Imma has but Imma and I are definitely of the same vein when it comes for demanding Christmas lights and decorations sooner rather than later.

One of my favorite pictures of Imma

So if you think it is silly and ridiculous to put up Christmas decorations this early, then don't do it.  But I will because I am carrying on a tradition that makes my family happy.  We will sit in our joyful home and enjoy our gorgeous, sparkling lights while others watch their pumpkins spoil and start to attract gnats. Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh, so let me just say, to each his own!
Regardless of whether or not you put up your Christmas tree this week, after Thanksgiving, or not at all, I hope that you have a blessed and joyful November and that you prepare for turkey day in whatever way makes your family Thankful.