Halloween has come and gone and now that we are in November, the only path ahead seems to be Christmas. You see hints of Christmas in stores, outside of houses, pretty much anywhere you look there is an intense emphasis on celebrating Christmas. Some stores even put Christmas decorations out in the middle of October. Why can’t we just enjoy November without the looming shadow of Christmas?
I completely understand that the month of November may feel like a Thursday. The week isn’t over yet but it’s close, so very close to Friday. Which in this case would be December. We are so close to the end of the year, but it’s not quite. Even though we all want it to be Friday, Thursday is still an important day of the week. Thursday is a day of reflection for both the weekend ahead, and the week behind. By ignoring November to focus on December we lose the ability to truly appreciate the months behind, nor prepare for the month ahead.
Even if you don’t like Thanksgiving, November is a transitional month between fall and winter. Why shouldn’t we enjoy the crunchy leaves and the last remnants of fall before wishing for snow? Our society loves to push consumerism directly after Halloween, forcing stores to promote for the biggest spending season of the year. Instead of Black Friday being directly after Thanksgiving, the entire month of November is nothing but promotions and pressure shopping through “early deals”. Year after year each company has sales earlier and earlier, engulfing the serenity of November.
November needs to be a standalone month just like the other months. November is always the gateway to talking about December and Christmas. Even March, one of the driest months of the year, has standalone characteristics. November deserves this same treatment, and it sucks that we have to constantly associate it with sales and Christmas.
