The holidays

I hope you are enjoying your weekend. This morning I went by the mall in town to look for some slacks for work and realized that everyone seemed to out and about earlier than usual. It's official, the holiday season is upon us in full swing. Stores are no longer satisfied with Black Friday sales and have decided to make the entire month of November a sales extravaganza.

While I love the holidays, this time of year always reminds me of my time in Egham, Surrey. A nice, quiet town during the holiday season. No lines or people rushing about frantically searching for items on their Christmas lists. That's not to say that the nearby town of Staines or the metropolis of London weren't swamped with shoppers because they certainly were. It just seemed different from the American culture where holiday shopping starts promptly after Halloween ends and sometimes even earlier with TV shopping channels advertising 'Christmas in July' sales.

Here in America, our fast paced society glosses over the Fall/Thanksgiving holidays in favor of Christmas. Even my beloved craft stores start the holiday season early in September by putting out displays of Christmas decorations right next to those for the Fall and Halloween.

Perhaps it has always been this way with the hustle and bustle during the holiday season, but just once I would love it if we could slow down. Have we forgotten that Thanksgiving Day even exists? It seems that way to me.

I'm not saying that I don't start my Christmas stitching early or pick up small gifts throughout the year because I do, but at least I can appreciate the Fall while it is still here. The cooler weather, falling leaves, and the excitement of approaching Thanksgiving where I can have a good meal with my family.

Take a little time and remember that it is still November.

Until next time ^____^