In the year 1621, the colonists and the natives shared a meal to give thanks for the bountiful harvest brought forth by the cooperation of the two peoples. Later, in 1863, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. Since then, in many turkey-lovers' homes, a meal is shared with friends and family to give thanks for our many blessings here.
If you haven't figured it out by my not-so-subtle title, I am not in favor of Christmas music in November. It seems that Christmas just gets earlier every year and somebody needs to keep the Santa-loving, wreath-hanging cheer in check. With the advent of plastic Christmas trees, there is an eternal life span to your living room evergreen and as long as people are willing to pay the electricity bills, why bother taking the lights down? Here's my thought, the longer Christmas commercialism lasts year to year, the less special the holiday actually becomes. The longer the season lasts, the less special the one day is. The longer we draw out the sights and sounds, the less we can appreciate the emotions of being with our family in peace and love.
Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas, and Christmas music is the peak of greatness. I can only think of one holiday where we can talk about listening to Wham!, Nat King Cole, and Ariana Grande in the same breath. Christmas music transcends genre boundaries. It makes us laugh, cry, and sing along, but at its heart, it is about one single season of the year, unless, of course, you're a musician, in which case, you must prepare for December concerts (the one exception to early Christmas music in my book).
One of the many definitions of "season" is "a proper or suitable time" and I think America's commercial Christmas exceeds its season. It is my hope that the spirit of Christmas is more than walking into Costco on Halloween and seeing Christmas wreaths (true story). I hope that the love and care we share with one another at Christmas time doesn't stop when we empty our stockings. The peace and the joy we all feel when we make time for family has no season. That is what should be so special about Christmastime. That is what is so special about Thanksgiving as well. So, put up your tree and lights just for December and enjoy the festivities in their season, but don't limit the virtue of family on that one Thursday in November just for a little bit more of Bing Crosby.
Check out my original Thanksgiving song entitled "Let Us Give Thanks" on my YouTube Channel! (other videos under the playlists tab)
