Christmas year-round

Andy Williams didn’t coin it “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” for nothing.

The holiday season is without question the most enjoyable part of my calendar year.

The lights, the decorations and the music all make for a portion of the year filled with happiness, love and, you guessed it, cheer.

So with all of the joy that Christmas brings me, there’s no chance I’m waiting to start my celebrating just because the Halloween candy is still half uneaten and the Thanksgiving turkey hasn’t been roasted.

As soon as Costco props up their Douglas faux-furs and Starbucks brings out the red cups, it’s fair game to play all of the Carpenter’s Christmas Album I want.

Premature Christmas celebration is part of living in this country. One in four Americans admitted to starting their Christmas shopping before even Halloween is over. Not that you have to go that far, but it’s something that has become more common of late.

And I couldn’t be more thrilled.

It’s not that I don’t understand why people don’t like it.

It is a little strange to see cobwebs and pumpkins hanging next to Rudolph at Hallmark.

But when you boil it all down, what’s it hurting?

The lights are beautiful, the music is cheerful and the overarching concept of putting other people before yourself for a whopping 25 days out of 365 is something that, yes, I do believe should be stretched over a longer period of time than originally allotted.

So whether or not the pumpkins have rotted yet, it’s never too early to start the celebration of one of the few times during the year where a large majority of the population is focused on hope, love and giving back.

­— cnmcelwa@indiana.edu
Follow columnist Claire McElwain on Twitter @clairemc_IDS.