Hanging Christmas lights, setting up the tree, and baking cookies are all Christmastime activities, but when should we start celebrating? Stores seem to start putting out Christmas stuff as soon as Halloween is over. Well, I believe that we should start after Thanksgiving. I see the snow on the ground giving people excitement for the Christmas season, but I am here to stick up for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving tends to get overlooked. After Halloween people get too excited with all of the Christmas music playing on the radio. Thanksgiving doesn’t get the credit that it deserves. No, there isn’t “Thanksgiving music,” but it is still a holiday. Remember we get three days off school to celebrate.

I’m no Scrooge; I’m not against getting your Christmas lights put up early to beat the rush of everyone getting them on at the same time. The Christmas music on the radio right after Halloween is stretching it a little bit, but there is no reason for a tree up the day after Halloween, or even the week before Thanksgiving. The day after Thanksgiving is when my family puts our tree up, and that is the earliest I believe anyone should have theirs up.

I know that it’s the “Holiday Season,” but that includes Thanksgiving. That is why it is a season after all, not a “Holiday Month.” So, we should celebrate all of the holidays that season. Leave your pumpkins out from Halloween, keep that leaf wreath up for just a couple of weeks longer. You can have all of December to enjoy Christmas decorations.

Baking Christmas cookies is out of the question. You shouldn’t have a Santa cookie out as a dessert for Thanksgiving. Decorating a gingerbread house is another Christmas activity that needs to wait until after Thanksgiving. I don’t want to see a little gingerbread man until after my Thanksgiving meal is fully digested. We need to savor the last moments of fall, because as soon as the clock strikes midnight on Thanksgiving night, it’s Christmastime.

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Christmas and the joy Christmastime brings everyone. Thanksgiving doesn’t have very many supporters because everyone is so excited about Christmas. We have to remember the food you get once a year on Thanksgiving. The turkey, the stuffing, and yes, even the cranberry sauce. It is also a time to be thankful for everything we have before Christmas. As soon as you are finished, go ahead and set up the tree and turn on the music.