Friday, November 19, 2010

O' Christmas Tree (part II)

Hey, you.


Yeah, YOU.  The one who's been trashing people like me who like to start celebrating the holiday season a little early via Christmas decorating. I'm not talking about those who simply do not put a tree up until after Turkey day because it's tradition.  I'm talking about the ones who are RUDE, NAGGY, and JUDGMENTAL. It's time to grab yourself a cup of coffee and get comfy, ya ol' crank!

My first initial reaction to early Holiday celebrating haters is: "WAHHHH!  WAHHHH!!! Just leave me alone!!! Let me enjoy my Christmas tree in peace! boooo hoo hoooooooo..."

but then I start thinking about how screwed up it is to give someone serious heck over a house decoration, and my thinking gets a little less simple and starts getting a lot more crazy.

Is it a crime to be emmer effin' happy?!?  It just so happens that my fake 6.5 ft. department store pine Christmas tree makes me kind of EXTREMELY happy.  I collect ornaments throughout the year, always looking for them when I travel. I think the tree's gorgeous.  It's fun, and so is silly cute Christmas Music. I smile, I get excited, I enjoy every single day leading up to Christmas (awww, good for me!)  Those days begin around the first week of November for me, when radio stations start blasting Christmas tunes 24/7 and I decorate my Christmas Tree.  If trees and music don't make you happy prior to the month of December, fine. To each their own.  But instead of raising total not-so-Christmasy hell over those who actually do enjoy the excitement several days in addition to the 25th, why don't you... peacefully turn the radio station to something else?  Yeah, that would do. Playfully teasing the people who are already hanging up stockings about how Christmas ridonkulous they are is cool, too. But please, do not resort to anger, or name calling. Or, how about this - don't accuse fanatics like me of "not being very Christian". That's being very judgmental, which is not very Christian-like. ("BOOM. Roasted.")

Thanksgiving.  I'm thankful - a very thankful person.  I enjoy a few days off from work, I travel to WV to see the fam, I enjoy not one but two dinners - one with my in-laws, one at my mom & step-father's house.  The food is great, we visit, we watch football and laze around, we laugh.  Occasionally, someone gets choked on a piece of turkey and nearly dies at the dinner table. It's a great time had by all, and I usually conclude the whole she-bang by helping mom decorate her own tree, and going shopping on Black Friday.  I go right along with the majority of consumer-happy Americans and hop head first into spending way too much dough at the mall, drinking unhealthy gluttonous amounts of Starbucks out of the red cup, and wasting entirely too much energy trying to achieve that perfect bow for that perfect present for that perfect sister-in-law. So what if i decide to start decorating before all of the Christmas chaos hits?   I'm not decorating because I'm a Turkey hater.  It's all because i enjoy it.

Some have repeatedly said, "I can't believe your tree is up.  I cannot believe your tree is already up."  Ok, fine.  You can't believe my tree is up. Yay.

Others have repeatedly snarked around about how wrong it is to put up a tree before Thanksgiving. Wrong?  Define "wrong".  And by whose standards? THEIRS?  Is there a direct correlation between the number of days that I insert a fake decorated pine tree into my living room prior to Thanksgiving and the percentage chance that I may have committed some kind of religious crime? Um, no.  Seriously. SERIOUSLY. No.

"It's just wrrrooooonnnng", someone whined the other day.  How much critical thinking fueled that comment?  According to my calculations, a big,fat,empty, round ZERO.

I'm cool with friends and family lightheartedly saying "wow, that's early - you're crazy!" or, "man, you're on the ball with that!"  or even "I don't think I could stand staring at the tree that long".  I understand, smile, say something dorky like, "welp, whatever floats your boat!" and go one. However, I stop playing along when someone tells me I'm wrong. Instead of brushing it off, i BLOG. I am so badass. 

If Christmas lights before Thanksgiving really make you sick, then turn your face in the other direction. If the Christmas gift card display at Wal-mart angers you, drop the act and just buy one for me already. If you really feel pent up aggression and rage about those who choose to start the celebrating a little bit early, you should just succomb to your fears and frustrations, join in the madness, and get to HO-HO-HO'in - you'll be a much happier person without all of those personal "Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving is the devil!" feelings bottled up inside, I promise.  If nothing else, please don't measure my level of spirituality on your Christianity thermometer, based on a Christmas ornament and the tree skirt my cat took a huge dookie on last year. No measuring, no judging, no hate. Just peace, live and let live, love, and smile.  Those concepts are way easier on the heart and the mind. 

Oh, and a $25 Walmart gift card will do just fine.
 
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13 comments:

Jess said...

My tree was up about a week and a half BEFORE your early up tree. i got the flack as well. but it's pretty, sparkly, and DONE - so now I can enjoy thanksgiving and not be stressed about finding time to put up my tree because my job keeps my nuts this time of the year. yay us! (starbucks red cup cheers)

Unknown said...

I'm glad you just do what you stankin' wanna! Merry Thanksgiving! BTW, I left an award for you over at my site. Let's just call it a Christmas present.

Ashley said...

I love it! It makes me super happy that your tree is up! I've been wanting mine up for a week or so but just haven't had time to drag it all out.

Kerri said...

Oh my, your 3rd to last sentence is the BEST....I LOVE IT!
I ordered my son's ornament this morning....yay! I'm feeling on the ball so far!
We have a 12 hr car ride on Tuesday...and we are all looking forward to listening to Christmas music on our drive!
BTW, anyone that would give you any kind of flack...is just plain super JEALOUS...that's all! They WISH they had some of that kind of energy and spirit!

Rebekah said...

I LOVE this post! I love that you have your Christmas tree up and you be as happy as you want about it!

I can't wait to put ours up, but I think my husband would die if I put it up now!

Katie said...

This is great. I am on the same page as you. Christmas makes me so happy that I try to start it early and drag it out as long as possible. I had to defend my love for all things Christmas to a friend yesterday. I got my point across but it was a bit annoying.
I can't wait to get my tree up!

Anonymous said...

Oh I love you. Thank you so much for posting this. Because this is exactly what I have been trying to say. Actually my response lately has been "I don't have a whole lot of happiness in my life right now. Christmas makes me happy. Are you really trying to take that away from me?!?" That usually shuts them up. Yay for our early Christmases

Brittany said...

uh oh! I hope it wasnt anything I said.. I hope that I didnt say anything to offend you! I am trying REALLY hard to wait for Christmas stuff until AFTER thanksgiving.. but yesterday I broke down! You should check out my blog.. because honestly my cousin and I are ridiculous.. and hopefully we make you laugh!

sorry if I said anything to offend you! I hope I didnt.. Maybe it wasnt me.. but if it was.. SORRY CHARLIE!

Crazy Shenanigans-JMO said...

Don't listen to any of the haters! I've got my tree up to and you know what, I like it! They just hate their lives and are jealous of the tree!!

Heather said...

I just LOVE this post! You tell em' girl, don't let anyone put you down!

Anonymous said...

First of all...it seems I'm the only male commenter here. Secondly...guilty as charged.

Faith said...

hahahaha, you crack me up. although, i do not think this post was intended to be funny. i really wanted to start the decorating my hubby said not until after Thanksgiving. i never even knew it was a "rule", lol.

so in an attempt to not be "rude" to Thanksgiving and my hubby's wishes i am going along with it ... but i promise you, if the hubs did not know about this "rule" from him mom, i would have had our tree up at the same time you did!

more power to you! :)

p.s. i think i should show this post to my hubs. i have a feeling he will enjoy it, hehe.

Mrs. M said...

Hi! I just found your blog when searching for how in the heck to hang bead garland on a Christmas tree! Usually we do tinsel, but it's so messy and I just wanted to try something new!

I LOVE Christmas!! I called my Mom a couple of weeks ago to thank her for instilling in me a love for everything Christmasy! I love the music, the decorations, the crazy shoppers, and THE SNOW!! Most of my friends in Wisconsin want to kill me when I tell them that I pray for snow! hehehe We'll see how that goes now that I live in NJ!

Either I don't have a lot of haters in my life or they just know me so they keep their opinions to themselves!

We didn't get the tree up till the week of Thanksgiving this year...super busy with homeschooling 4 kids and getting ready to have 7 extra people in my house for a week for Thanksgiving! Now it's up and I love it... although still searching the stores for some bead garland! Now we are totally going Chevy Chase outside!!

Sorry for the book! Just wanted to tell you that I love Christmas too and I would probably keep the tree up from October to March if I could!! I'm always a little sad in January when it comes down and the house looks so plain.

Blessings,
Heather

P.S. Not Christian?!?! Seriously?! Do you know how far in advance I have to start planning and getting ready for one of my kids birthdays? It's Jesus' birthday!!! Shouldn't that be even bigger and better?!