Holy #^&@@ It's Christmas?!

Patti Sunshine has given up on Fortune's Rocks and is now reading Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin


Is my Calendar off? Did I fall asleep for 7 weeks and wake up at the tail end of December? If so, this sure is nice warm weather for Christmas time!

The reason for my confusion is that Todd and I went shopping last night to buy a toy for a little boy who was hurt in an accident. On our way to the (yikes) mall, we noticed that the houses were decorated with santas, reindeer and snowmen. While in the mall, we saw displays exhibiting similar themes and piping over the sound system was CHRISTMAS MUSIC! On November 11?!?! (Shouldn't they have been playing Veteran's Day music?)

The other day, I was trying to explain to my son that Thanksgiving was coming up, and it would be our next big holiday, but he argued that it was still Halloween. I can't blame him for that sentiment, seeing as his costume is still sitting in our living room and I haven't removed the broom-riding witch drawing from our front window. So in a sense, he is right, It is not Thanksgiving until Halloween has officially run its course. We still have a salad bowl full of candy, after all.

Why is it that people want Christmas to last longer than all the other holidays? The stores have just removed all of their Halloween decor and have totally skipped the Thanksgiving theme in favor of Christmas. I remember driving by people's houses last year in February, and seeing Christmas trees in the front windows. When we were kids, we wished for every day to be Christmas, but that was out of greed, wasn't it? We really were just in it for the toys. What makes adults cling to Christmas. Is it the religious factor? The colors? The commercialism?

In our lovely city we already have 2 radio stations that have started to play Christmas music, non-stop, 24 hours a day. When the time is right I will tune in, but for now I will plan for one of my favorite holidays, the holiday of food, family and fun, the 4th of July of Fall, the neglected little sister to Christmas, THANKSGIVING. Let us give thanks, and not forget what Thanksgiving can do for us.