I hate the dark.
Movies and books and life and all of the things teach us that dark is bad. Bad things happen in the dark. Hope and joy are chased away by the corners of darkness. Light is better than dark.
It stands to reason that I hate Daylight Saving Time. I'm all for sunlight when I'm driving to work, but there's nothing sadder than not seeing your kid and the sun play together for days on end.
But, I found the silver lining. Years ago, I discovered that there is something that can chase away the harshness of the cold, dark winter. The sparkly lights and shiny baubles of Christmas decorations can make the darkness friendlier. They take the edge off and give me something to look forward to each year when I set those clocks back.
It's possible that I try a little bit harder than most to chase away the dark. See also: I have 12 Christmas trees. See also also: I would have the outside of our house more decorated than anything any Griswold could ever imagine, if only the electrical system in our house could handle it.
And if I had my way, I would have started decorating on November 1st.
I KNOW. I KNOW. I KNOW.
Every year I'm ashamed to admit that I want to start decorating as soon as the last trick-or-treaters have vanished into their homes. Every year I start out decorating deep inside the most hidden corners of our house and don't dare let anyone know what is going on. Every year I hang my head low because I KNOW. I know how everyone feels about Christmas decorations in November.
I see the thoughts posted all over social media. RESPECT THE TURKEY, you say.
Some of the comments are ... vicious. Mean. Cruel.
I get it. Sort of. I get that you want to give Thanksgiving the credit it deserves.
But ... just because you need a month set aside just for the purposes of being thankful doesn't mean that I do. If I go a week without telling someone that I appreciate them or that I am thankful they are around or something along those lines, I feel like I've failed. Thanksgiving is a time for being with family for me. Thankful is all of the time.
So. I don't need to decorate for Thanksgiving. I can be thankful without plastic turkeys all around. I don't need pumpkins on my porch to remind me to be thankful. I don't even need vividly covered leaves to keep it all in perspective. I like my Thanksgiving to be adorned with sparkly lights and shiny baubles, thank you very much.
Does that mean I don't respect Thanksgiving or don't respect the turkey?
Nope.
It means I like pretty things that brighten the darkness. I like to those pretty things for more than just a couple of weeks.
I like to cut into the dark with some light of my own for as long as I can.
So, if you don't mind, please excuse me while I decorate my trees and bring light to these nights filled with dark. There are only 24 hours in a day, and I would like to spend this one doing things that make me happy.
I only hope you will choose your one hour doing something that makes you happy instead of telling me that I'm a terrible person for already having a Christmas tree in my dining room.