It’s too early for Christmas music

Well, it happened. I was driving back from a meeting and I heard Mariah Carey’s 1994 holiday jingle classic, “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”

Now, I’m not saying I dislike the song, point of fact, it is rather catchy, and everyone knows Mariah Carey has a great voice. But Halloween literally got over with just a few days ago, and as the calender so clearly states, we are in the month of November, not December, and Christmas is weeks away.

I understand the compulsion to play the song. The leaves are gone from the trees, there’s frost on the ground and the windshields of cars and trucks, and here and there a few flurries have come to say hello to Wisconsin.

But at least give me time to eat all the Halloween candy that goes on sale first, or take time to enjoy Thanksgiving, before you start playing the classic Christmas jingles like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” or “Deck the Halls.”

Because when you play “Deck the Halls” in November, all I want to do is deck the guy on the radio in the face for playing those songs two months too early.

Now, it’s not like I’m some curmudgeon like Ebenezer Scrooge. I love the holidays, and love Christmas, but it so often feels like everything is one big rush these days, and you never get time to fully sit down and enjoy Halloween and Thanksgiving. You have to plan for the next event and the next holiday.

I think it’s better to have at least a few days to rest and recuperate, enjoy Halloween costumes and the candy, and enjoy the days as they come. Watching the change of the seasons is a wonderful thing. Dealing with TV commercials going on about Black Friday sales weeks in advance, not so much.

And then there’s poor Thanksgiving. I mean, turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy are awesome, and they deserve their own holiday. But it always seems rushed, and then stores want you to waddle down halls with a full belly as you race to be the first to bring your 75 inch plasma screen TV to the check out counter.

I think we need to get back to a quieter pace of life. That includes taking time away from social media, time away from shopping, and just ignoring the calendar a little bit. The holidays are supposed to be about connection, about coming together to share in this crazy, collective experience called life.

Being reminded that Christmas is just around the corner, and having to listen to Mariah Carey weeks too early, is a not so subtle reminder that this year is almost over. But before it does truly end, I think we should at least have some time to sit back and reflect on the year.

There certainly was enough going on to warrant that. I mean, after all, that’s the point of a holiday like Thanksgiving, right? To sit back and be thankful for the things we do have, rather than the things we don’t.

If you want to be reminded about the things you don’t have, you don’t need to look very far. Just turn on the TV and see that brand new car that’s on sale, or the new toy or technological bauble that must be bought.

As far me, I intend to spend the next few weeks curled up in my covers, drinking my coffee, and saying bahumbug to Christmas tunes until at least the middle of Christmas. For me, it’s still Happy Halloween!

M USINGS AND G RUMBLINGS

ROSS PATTERMANN REPORTER