Everywhere I look, Christmas is showing up earlier and earlier. Pumpkins are still sitting on the porch, the leaves are barely changing colors, and somebody already has a fully decorated tree glowing in the living room.
And listen, I get it.
I am happier when Christmas lights are illuminating the inside of my life. Give me the twinkle lights, the cozy evenings, the familiar music, and that little bit of magic that makes an ordinary Tuesday feel special. If putting your tree up on November 1 brings you joy, I am not coming over to unplug it. I might even ask where you bought your garland.
But I’ve been wondering if, in our excitement to get to Christmas, we’re missing an opportunity to enjoy the season we’re actually in.
What happened to letting fall be fall?
I love Christmas. I also love the crisp mornings, the last warm afternoons, the color in the trees, and the gathering around a table in November. There is beauty here, too. And sometimes I think we move on so quickly that we don’t give ourselves the chance to notice it.
It isn’t really about pumpkins versus Christmas trees. It’s about how easily we start looking ahead to the next beautiful thing while the beautiful thing right in front of us goes unnoticed.
I do this in life, not just with holidays. I can spend so much time hoping for what comes next that I forget to live where I am.
Christmas doesn’t actually end on December 25
Here’s the funny part: traditionally, the twelve days of Christmas begin on Christmas Day. They run through January 5, leading into Epiphany on January 6 in many Christian traditions.
We spend weeks—sometimes months—counting down to Christmas morning, then December 26 rolls around and suddenly we’re ready to take it all down, pack it away, and get back to normal.
And then we say, “Christmas went by so fast!”
Well, yes. We practically escorted it out the door before the wrapping paper made it to the trash.
What if we didn’t treat Christmas Day like the finish line? What if it was the beginning of a little more celebrating, a little more slowing down, a little more time to sit with the wonder of it all?
January could use a little light
And can we talk about January for a second? Because January can be rough.
The days are short. The weather is cold. The excitement of December is over, and everything can suddenly feel a little gray. For people who struggle with seasonal depression, the darker winter months can be especially difficult. Twinkle lights aren’t treatment for depression, of course, but small comforts and familiar rituals can still make home feel welcoming.
So why are we in such a hurry to remove one of the things that brings warmth and light to a season that often feels like it needs more of both?
Maybe this is the year we leave the tree up a little longer. Maybe we keep the lights on through the twelve days of Christmas. Maybe we have friends over in early January for cocoa or dinner, with absolutely no pressure to make it look like a magazine.
Or maybe you truly love putting everything away on December 26 because a clean house brings you peace. That’s wonderful, too.
The real point isn’t a decorating schedule
I’m not trying to convince everyone to put their trees up later or leave them up longer. I don’t think there is a holy date for hauling the decorations out of the attic.
I just think we have more choices than we sometimes realize.
We can enjoy fall without feeling behind. We can celebrate Christmas before Thanksgiving if that’s what works for our families. We can keep celebrating after December 25. We can make room for traditions and change them when life changes.
We don’t have to measure our joy by what everybody else is doing—or by what the internet says we should be doing by now.
And maybe that’s the part I’m really thinking about. I don’t want to rush through whole pieces of my life waiting for the next season to feel better. There is enough that moves quickly without me hurrying along the things I actually love.
So this year, I’m giving myself permission to enjoy what’s here. The fall days while they’re still fall days. Christmas when it comes. And maybe a few extra evenings in January with the lights glowing, just because I can.
Because the goal isn’t to make a season last forever. It’s to be present for the life we’re living while it’s here.
I’m curious: Are you an early Christmas decorator, a wait-until-after-Thanksgiving person, or someone who keeps the lights glowing well into January? There’s room for all of us.
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