Christmas has gone from a couple day event to a many months’ experience. As soon as we put away the Pumpkins, at Halloween, Christmas lights go up and the holiday season is on. This holiday season is like hunting and fishing opening days for sportsmen.
In Montana, you need to put up holiday lights before it snows. Many homeowners now have permanent light systems that they can operate every day. There are color patterns and custom features that accommodate all holidays.
Once the Christmas Lights go up, they may end up staying in place until April when the snow melts. At the very least, it seems that many folks are decorated for Christmas from mid-November until mid-January. Seasonal lights also reflect on Thanksgiving through New Years!
When we were kids, Christmas trees went up on Christmas Eve. They may have gone up a tad sooner if the weather was nice and we cut our own tree. A fresh tree was safer than one that was old and dry. Fire safety is a concern when using live trees in a home.
Christmas has become a competition. Extreme decorations can take over a neighborhood. Folks often drive around town looking for the best light displays. Displays of mangers and much more can extend across the lawn and fences. Holiday lights make many people happy!
So why has Christmas become such a LONG holiday? Christmas is a season of “Peace and Love”. We give gifts, family gets together, it’s the final holiday of the year, the music, smells, and flavors are all appealing. Videos and films stream on the tv. Most of the hunting season is done and many hunters are home for the holidays, to make up for when they were afield.
Christmas highlights the best about people. With the world becoming a more confusing, crowded, and concerning place, we all need a little more love and peace.
More people decorate their homes for the holidays than vote! Holiday displays and lights are big business that fill big holes in people’s hearts. The season of giving, singing, sharing, and loving is in demand. Folks begin early and late because they are making a statement. It’s like raising your hand to get attention.
What do you want? A little more of what Christmas brings. It doesn’t matter what color, religion, nationality, hunter, fisherman, sportsman, job, status, or what you are.
We all could use a lot more of what Christmas brings.
Merry Christmas.
