Decorating for Christmas in November? Why Not?

It is early November and I decided.

I woke up this morning with a firm decision in my mind and I stuck to it. Although it is about 20 days earlier than usual, I still made the decision.

I decorated my house for Christmas.

Now, I’m sure there are some of you shaking your head, tisking, maybe even gasping, but I did it. I side-stepped autumn and put up my tree. I put out the snowmen and the wreath. I got out the advent calendar and candy dishes. I hung the stockings and jingled the bells. I even changed the wax in my Scentsy pot to make my whole house smell like the holidays. I went full-on Christmas in a matter of hours.

And I’m not ashamed. Not in the least.

I love Christmas. I love Christmas movies and Christmas lights and Christmas music and all things Christmas. As I write this, the movie “Elf” is playing in the background. What’s more, I love that my kids love Christmas almost as much as I do – not that it’s a competition, but I definitely love Christmas more than they do.

You should have seen their faces when I told them of my plans. My daughter instantly lit up, did a little happy dance, and clapped excitedly. My son, who’s far cooler than I am, did a stoic fist pump and immediately set to work assigning tasks to make the decorating more efficient.

When I told my mother my plans to transform my house into a winter wonderland, she crinkled up her nose and said, “Oh, honey, no. You should enjoy autumn and Thanksgiving first.”

Why?

“No Christmas until after Thanksgiving. No music or movies or trees or decorations.” And up until now, I followed that rule religiously. For most of my life, that was the way it was. Not just the way it was, it was the rules. 

That is until I wondered what’s the problem with me decorating early? There aren’t any laws saying I can’t have a festive home while still be fully committed to Thanksgiving. I’m still excited about turkey and green bean casserole and mashed potatoes and dinner rolls. I’m still looking forward to a day of feasting with the ones I love.

But I’m also looking forward to Christmas. It may be autumn outside my house, but there’s undoubtedly a wintry, Christmas vibe inside.

While I used to, in some way, fear the shame and judgement passed upon me for decorating earlier than society deem acceptable, I don’t feel it anymore. It’s about what makes my kids happy and what makes me happy. And oh my word did decorating make them happy.

So, I say “Bah Humbug” to the naysayers. I decorated a few days earlier than usual, no big deal. I’m going to be spending 55 days out of this year surrounded by festive red and green this year and there are no qualms to be had.

When I’m done writing this, I’m going to turn all the lights off in my house, plop down in my recliner, and sit in a room simply filled with the gentle glow of my Christmas tree. I’ll wrap up in my favorite Christmas throw blanket and enjoy the soothing sounds of my Pandora Christmas station.

And I’ll do so with a smile on my face.

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