Are you Kidding – Christmas Decorations Already?

Glitter's Gift

Glitter’s Gift

Before you can lip the words “are you kidding”, hear me out…

Ok, I know its August 7th and there are 139 days until Christmas.  Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and National Peanut Day have not even entered our frontal lobes, but yet Christmas décor has snuck into the aisles of a store near you.  I know, I know it’s near 90⁰ out and how in the world can you be expected to think about a winter holiday especially as the memory of the 2013 snowstorms still linger in your minds.

But I’d like to offer some positive thoughts on the glitter found in the aisles this August.

  • This is the time of year designers shop for their clients when all the ‘great’ decorations are still available, you should go find some unique items and store them away!
  • If we start now to think of the perfect gifts for family and friends, we won’t pick the last things on the shelves two days before Christmas. You have time to find out what they’ve always wanted or observe what they really need.  Shopping now means we can spend less cash on more meaning…
  • During the holidays people are always nicer, kinder, more generous, and they smile more. So thinking about Christmas should make you smile – even in August.
  • If we calmly start planning for gifts, trips, parties, and visits with family and friends, we won’t lose our minds as we scramble* to squeeze everything into the four calendar weeks we are perceived to have after Thanksgiving.

*scram·ble — [ skrámb’l ] verb

1.a. to move with urgency or panic;

3.b. to get or gather something with difficulty or in irregular ways

  • If you start planning now you can eliminate the humiliation of being laughed at 3 weeks before Christmas as you call around to find that special hockey jersey, cabbage patch doll (dating myself) or Nintendo games, been there, done that.
  • Homemade gifts or creating on-line treasures are less rushed when starting 4 months ahead.
  • It’s fun to keep the secret of wrapped gifts in the house!

We are SO occupied with the shopping, decorating, planning, baking, worrying of the holidays it becomes almost IMPOSSIBLE to enjoy ANY of the magic of the season.  We set ourselves up for an anti-climactic hangover if we pack all the excitement into one day and don’t enjoy the journey to the actual celebration.

So as we walk through those aisles and whisper to ourselves ‘are you kidding’ when we see ornaments, lighting, wreaths and glitter, remember to SMILE!  Take those colorful reminders as a gift — that instead of 4 weeks to do all the things on your Christmas list, you’ve got 4 months!!!

Grateful for you (and Glitter)…

Sheree


8 thoughts on “Are you Kidding – Christmas Decorations Already?

  1. Sheree – you make me laugh! Pam & I were out shopping last week when we came across our first holiday decorations of the year. We started to cry, then we wailed, finally we flung ourselves onto the nearest sofa in an act of desperation. NO!!! Not yet!! IT CAN’T BE!!!!!!! Say it isn’t so…….. YOU know what I’m talkin’ about – LOL. xxx

  2. Someone once gave me the bright idea to fill out my Christmas cards in August, you know when it’s to darn hot to do anything outdoors! Of course I forgot about it…until now! Thanks Sheree!

  3. Okay, just picked up some cute Xmas gifts in a cute shop in Cedarburg, WI! You won’t be getting yours until Xmas…for sure!!!!

  4. Hobby Lobby must know something we don’t by putting out Christmas in early August. I found myself saying (what?????) when I was last there but was drawn to the neatly packed decorations thinking maybe a change for the theme for our tree this year is in order. (Sometimes I’ve been a humbug about putting up a tree right Sher)?

    When we buy for others early it gives way to temptation to give it to them cause I can’t wait. UGH

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