Forget Christmas Creep, Let's Be Thankful

We're skipping the thankfulness, and I hate it. 

Are you only doing one of these things?

As the calendar page turned from October to November, Americans pivoted straight from Halloween to Christmas - and largely ignored my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. This "Christmas creep" - the drift of yuletide season into the months before December - has been in full swing for weeks, and it's getting stronger by the day. 

Christmas ornaments shared shelf space with a smattering of discounted Halloween stragglers even before ghosts and goblins hit the streets. A local radio station switched to all-holiday music on November 1. As of a few days ago, a house in my neighborhood is fully decorated with hundreds of glittering Christmas lights...nearly a week before anyone is roasting their turkeys. Sitting alone on the dark street, it's a glaring beacon of premature holidaying.

"What's the problem?" you say. "If somebody wants to jingle their bells before Thanksgiving, let them have their joy." 

I won't stop them. But I don't agree. 

By going directly from Halloween to Christmas (do not pass GO, do not collect $200), we focus solely on giving and getting - but we gloss over that holiday in the middle that's all about being thankful. That should be one of the most important holidays, and it's surely one of the most meaningful sentiments we can express. Why don't we give it the acknowledgement it deserves? 

Respect the fowl.

When we're handing out candy one day and buying stocking stuffers the next, we're forgetting to be thankful for the means to give and for the many things we already have. 

When we jump from dressing up in fun costumes to dressing up for pictures by the tree, we miss the naked beauty of pared down, simple pleasures. The sweet taste of pie. The hearty smell of roast turkey. The feel of a full belly and socked feet propped up on the coffee table.

If we take down our fake cobwebs and immediately put up the twinkling lights, we miss celebrating the most important trappings that decorate our lives -- the people we love, who brighten our homes just by walking through the door. This year, we should say extra thanks that we are able to come together despite the profound toll of the ongoing pandemic. However long it's been since we've seen each other, that's too long. Let's be grateful for this togetherness. 

I understand the allure of leap-frogging from Halloween to Christmas. So much joy is waiting beneath candy wrappers and Santa-printed paper. It's loads of fun to demand treats from your neighbors after dark - on a school night! - and hang delicate sparkling baubles on tree limbs in your living room. Both holidays are thrilling, dramatic, and uniquely stunning.   

In contrast, there's nothing shiny about being grateful. Nothing exciting about saying thanks. Yet it is in these slow moments of gratitude and appreciation that we will find the deepest and most lasting happiness. Study after study says intentional gratitude makes you ache less, sleep better, feel more resilient, and experience greater contentment. Isn't that kind of high exactly what we're chasing at Halloween and Christmas? 

The last Thursday in November shouldn't be a stepping stone between more popular holidays, but a celebration unto itself. You can blast "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and dance around your trimmed tree while munching on a turkey leg if you like, but I'll be wholly focused on giving thanks on Thanksgiving.