I came home last night to a gapping hole in the usual set-up of my living room furniture. My sister was brimming with so much excitement, I could tell sheíd be anticipating my return just to answer, ìWhat is this all about?!î
I Roll-a-dexed through a few options in my mind: a prime location for a new TV, standing room beside the heater, space for a new puppy.
But she beat me to the punch and said, ìI made room for a Christmas tree!î
Iíll agree that summer has flown by, but not so much so that I donít remember experiencing October and November. ìItís Octoberî ñ a statement that I used to remind my sister that itís not yet time for Christmas festivities and to remind myself that the dog-days of summer are over.
While I hate to be the person to talk about the weather, I think itís worth pointing out that summer left us on a one-way overnight train to Mexico. I swear I fell asleep to the smell of fresh-cut grass and steak on the barbecue, and woke up to autumnís subtle gift of its presence: a cold.
Insulated jackets and frigid car rides to work are upon us, but I think Christmas decorations should wait until those facts of winter have truly set in.
One main difference between my sister and I is our excitement levels. Weíre a year apart in age but on opposite spectrums of the Richter Scale. My sister trembles with excitement about something three months away, whereas I wonít register until the moment is actually here.
Iíd hazard a guess that my lack of anticipation for festivities has to do more with my childhood than me having any similarities to the Grinch. As far back as I can remember, my mom would decorate our house for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving.
By the time the big day rolled around two-months later, I was so tired of the 10-foot tree in the foyer, nativity scenes sharing the bathroom, wreaths knocking on my windows and red bows on every bare surface, Iím ashamed to admit I looked forward to rolling through present time so we could skip ahead to rediscovering what our house actually looked like.
Awful I know, but Christmas music on loop can make a woman crazy.
But, trying to avoid dampening any spirits, I took the practical approach and asked my sister where she planned on getting a tree this early and if she was keen on hauling it up to the 25th floor of our building.
She pulled up a few bookmarked pages of tree businesses as well as do-it-yourself Christmas decorations.
I admit that I am more excited for Christmas this year than usual. I missed last year being halfway through a year-long trip to Asia. Christmas Day was made complete by the gift of 35∞C weather on the beach in Cambodia, but when youíre used to a white Christmas, white sand doesnít suffice.
My question is, how soon is too soon to begin the party? We ate a full turkey dinner last night because my sister ìreally wanted to cook.î And I guarantee we wouldíve had Christmas lights on our balcony in August had I actually stopped to get the hooks like Iíd been asked.
Since Christmas only comes once a year, maybe I shouldnít be the one to say how long it can stay?
