The Great Debate

I love a good debate, but when it comes to one topic, there seems to be a hard line drawn, and very few stand in the gray area and survive.   

A huge pile of candy with skeletons and rubber spider rings sits in a bowl on the dining room table. The cobwebs are ripped from the bushes and tombstones pulled up from the ground to be replaced…but by what? Is there a cornucopia of gourds on the table or do you deck the halls with boughs of holly? 

Are you a Thanksgiving die-hard or a Christmas Whovillian?  

If you just glanced down at the ugly Christmas sweater you couldn’t resist wearing for the first time this year, we’ve got our answer. You are plowing right through November on a sleigh full of reindeer and there is zero remorse. You didn’t have to Google the word Whovillian because you already knew exactly what it was. Your peppermint oils are diffusing through the house and the sugar cookie dough is rolled out ready to be baked.  

Or, maybe you’ve just finished drawing handprint turkeys with your children and labeling each finger with something you love. Your web browser history is full of recipes for pumpkin pie or green bean casserole. You’ve got Aunt Annie on standby just in case that family recipe doesn’t work out the way it’s supposed to. The pumpkin spice candles are lit and you have already calculated how many pounds of turkey to buy for the Friendsgiving feast.

Me? I walk that shaky gray line. I fully admit to playing Harry Connick’s crooning Christmas album as I stuff my throw pillows in their Thanksgiving covers. I’m definitely pulling out the hot chocolate and peppermint sticks while we watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving for the first of many times this month. I won’t put up the Christmas tree until December 1st, but I’ve already planned out this year’s awkward family Christmas card photo. And yes, that is eggnog I’m drinking while I browse recipe books deciding on side dishes for Thanksgiving Day.

The honest truth is it doesn’t really matter which side you choose. 

When those ghosts and goblins go back into their boxes, there is a palpable level of joy and excitement that fills the air. Our lives become even busier than they were before, with all the planning and prepping that comes with the last two months of the year, but I find that people are happier despite the crazy schedules and non-stop activities. Our homes are filled with whispered secrets and the laughter of family. The air turns crisp and cool, and the leaves are turning yellow and red. If you are lucky, you may even get a few snowflakes that confirm the change in seasons. We spend time reminiscing about the nostalgia of holidays past as we pull out decorations and can’t help but hope this next year is full of good memories in the making.  

Whichever side of the great holiday debate you choose, what I hope most of all is that you find the joy that comes with what we call gratitude in November and the season of giving in December. The time to recognize our blessed lives, to show our grateful hearts, and encourage generous giving. Find joy in your loved ones—spouses who might be deployed, children constantly underfoot, family far away, or friends around the world.

So, yes! Wear that ugly Christmas sweater, and buy that 20-pound turkey. Draw your line in the sand, and celebrate it in whatever way you want. 

But, most of all, enjoy the feeling that comes with it.