It's November...so it must be CHRISTMAS TIME!

Poor forgotten Thanksgiving. Every year it seems our nation get into the Christmas mind frame earlier and earlier. Halloween better start watching its back as I saw a store with a Christmas tree decked out in merchandise at the end of July. But this year especially it is a shame that Thanksgiving it now taking a back seat.

We have been told for months the economy is bad. People are losing their jobs and 401k’s. A record number of homes are in foreclosures. There is chaos in the streets. So what is the solution? Hang up Christmas decorations, sell Christmas merchandise, and play Christmas music. Because when people don’t have any money, the logical thing to do is remind people it is the season of giving. Oh, and giving mean presents you know, not time or love obviously. It just seems very counterproductive to force the “spending season” on people who can’t make their mortgage payment. Adding further stress to people’s wallets and health isn’t the best way to boost the economy.

Call me crazy, but I think every holiday should get a max. 30 day exposure. Halloween gets all of October (okay, 31 days), Thanksgiving gets up to Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas until New Years Eve. 30 days is enough to enjoy the decorations, get in the spirit of said holiday, and save up enough between each expense. It almost takes away from the specialness of Christmas if you see it for a good 3 months. The most wonderful time of the year shouldn’t last 1/4 of it.

It is also a shame that Thanksgiving has taken a back seat simply because of what the holiday represents. As sad as it is, Christmas is reduced in some households to presents, presents, and presents. Thanksgiving is turning more into the family oriented, just enjoying each other holiday. Especially during a year where the economy is in the toilet and people are worrying about their future, shouldn’t we take the time to sit down and think about the things we are thankful for? No matter how rough a year has been for anyone there are still aspects where thanks should be given. Thanksgiving should not be a one hour meal you take in-between Christmas shopping. It should be a day where everyone sits down with their love ones…and just relax. No trying to one up the Jones when neither you or the Jones can really afford that brand new gadget, no fighting lines to get a discount on an item you don’t really need, and no going to bed early at an insane time so you can get up and ready at 2 am to beat desperate housewives to the newest game console for your kids. If Thanksgiving is going to be shafted to the extent it gets no mention after Halloween, please ALLOW for it to have its OWN day. Thanksgiving should be focused on…THANKSGIVING!

I love Christmas just as much as everyone else. In fact, I am pretty sure I have more holiday decorations than 75 percent of all Americans out there (because made up percentages are fun). I love seeing the busy crowded malls, the decorations, and the fun holiday parties. But I appreciate all those things after Thanksgiving, not before. So when my mother wanted to decorate the store last week with peppermints and birch trees, I couldn’t really get in the mood. I have been trying to keep the Christmas music off the radio and Christmas programs off my TV (although my husband won a minor victory in that department). The underlining fact is that it’s Thanksgiving, not Christmas. I want to see pumpkin decorations and cornucopias across kitchen tables. I want to see drawings of turkeys (the silly hand print ones we did in 1st grade) and brightly covered leaves donning door wreaths. I don’t want to see Thanksgiving merchandise 75 percent off on November 1st to make way for chubby Santas and brightly colored bulbs. I don’t want to see Thanksgiving reduced to “woot, we get a week of school!!!”

Christmas should be a time of celebration, not dread because our wallets are nearly empty. Christmas should be a holiday we look forward to, not a holiday we get sick of seeing after December 5th. Thanksgiving should be its own independent holiday, not a stepping stone for a “bigger and better” one. Even if it’s just for one day, I want people to celebrate Thanksgiving without Christmas being slammed down their throats. People should sit back, watch the Macy’s day parade, and enjoy the company of those around them. Leave the sales, ornaments, and carols aside for 24 hours and focus on what is in front of you right now. It's time for Thanksgiving to be about Thanksgiving.