Is It Wrong To Put Up Christmas Decorations Before Thanksgiving?

Thirty years ago, the answer would have been a resounding "yes." Maybe even twenty years ago there would have been more yes's than no's. But we are in the age of instant messaging, on-demand movies still fresh from the theater, online Christmas shopping, do-it-yourself photo Christmas cards and shopping clubs that select and wrap your gifts for you, and then neatly send them to the appropriate giftee.

In short, we are a busy world, and we want as little bother and discomfort as possible. No one can fault us for that. We have a lot on our minds. War, earthquakes, epidemics, politics of all kinds, our own families and their many issues and needs, the horrors of high unemployment and foreclosure rates, and for some, the death of a dream. Really. Who is going to lose sleep at night pondering what is the correct week of the year to start their Christmas decorating?

And yet, we all feel a little happier, a little more peaceful, a little more hopeful when there are those bright twinkling lights strung on even the least number of windows or bushes in our yard. We have a sense of anticipation at the mention of Christmas even if the checking account is in name only because once the deposit is made the money is magically gone in a few days. We look forward to dragging out the boxes of ornaments and garlands and knick knacks that have become a tradition for us and our children. We dust off the Christmas video collection and decide which ones to watch when. We look through photo albums at Christmases from days gone by, and once again remember grandma and grandpa, cousins, aunts and uncles who are no longer with us, but forever have that holiday joy shining from their faces on a piece of Kodak paper.

Is it wrong to put up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving? No, more than ever, "we need a little Christmas." We need the face of the Christ Child smiling through the gloom of our tomorrows. We need the memory of the Wise Men travelling a very long way to bring expensive gifts to a poor family. We need to remember that God first gave the glad tidings of His Son's birth to poor shepherds, whose social class wasn't too much different from that of today's migrant workers. 

So put up that tree. Hang that garland. Set Santa out in the fifty degree sun where the summer's zinnias still are struggling to stay alive. Bake a few cookies, look through your Christmas card list. Watch IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE and a couple of your favorite Christmas flicks, wrap a few gifts even if you have to regift, shout: "Merry Christmas" in the middle of the day, if only to yourself or the dog, and remember that hard times will come and go, but Christmas is forever.

For sure, decorate before Thanksgiving!