I never understood why people were so bothered with the fact that Christmas trees and Christmas decorations were put out early in stores. I have always maintained a different viewpoint … that the holiday season is just that – a SEASON. What is so wrong with a store brightly decorated? When I walk into a store and approach the area of the season, it lifts my spirits, lightens my stride, and lessens my worries. Just watch the faces of the toddlers when mommy passes the Christmas lights – it will make your day. It is a great time to explain to your little ones (or your grand-little ones) about the birth of Christ, or the meaning behind Kwanzaa, or the history of Hanukkah. The holiday season and religion has always been tied together. When you tell your little ones to be good for Santa, remind them that Santa is not the only reason to be a good and caring person. They will remember that stuff.

I start my holiday season early. I am at the first Hallmark store ornament premiere every year to pick out just the right ornament for the loved ones attending our annual Christmas Tree Breakfast*. I normally comb stores for hours looking for the perfect card and trying to come close to the all time greatest card that my husband picked out some years ago. This year I started making my holiday cards. I may not have enough, but you have to applaud the attempt!

The village starts going up the day after Halloween – November 1st. I work on it off and on for about 10 days until it is just so. I call it my winter village so people didn’t think I was crazy for putting it up so soon!

Slowly, decorations will start creeping from storage into the house until every room has been decorated. My favorite thing to do is to place a little bit of holiday cheer where people least expect it. So, if a guest needs to visit the powder room, or drop something into the laundry, they are always greeted by a touch of Christmas. So much fun to see the look on their faces when they return from the powder room and exclaim that they have never seen Christmas ornaments on a shower rod before. I love that!!

I cannot wait to decorate until December. It makes the season too short. So, like the saying goes, keep Christmas in your heart all year. I won’t go that far, but 2 months out of the year, I will enjoy the blinking of lights and the sounds of carols, and the site of all of the little people in the village bustling about.

* Christmas Tree Breakfast began 10 years ago. My Mom and Dad had both passed. Grandma Tabor was 91 and not up to shopping. Grandma would send her six grandchildren money to purchase gifts for their own family from her. As I spoke to my brother, Jay, on the phone one evening, he was telling me how he had been using the money for a couple of years. He would buy tree permits, one per tree, and his grown kids and family would drive to the mountains and cut their own Christmas trees. He would buy all of the supplies for a big chili and hot chocolate dinner (just like Mom made) and buy the kids ornaments for their trees. I thought this to be a wonderful idea, but living in Tucson, the cutting down of our own trees was not an option. So, we started the Christmas Tree Shopping breakfast. We took our grown and still growing family to breakfast, giving each of them their own ornament; and afterwards, would head to Rick’s Tree Lot (no relation!) and everyone would pick out their tree, courtesy of Grandma Tabor. Family has scattered a bit now, Grandma Tabor has joined Mom and Dad, so we have changed the tradition a bit but kept the memories. Now we have a family Christmas Tree breakfast with extended family, and present everyone with an ornament picked just for them. For family far away, gift cards for breakfast and ornaments are mailed ALWAYS on the day after Thanksgiving. I hope that the tradition is handed down.