It had been a little while since I’d been inside a mall, so I was a little shocked when I opened the doors of Oglethorpe Mall yesterday and saw glittering white lights and green and red streamers. Christmas trees were standing every few feet, and Christmas carols were being pumped through the speaker system.
At least most places waited until after Halloween to get into the Christmas mode. But now that they’re into it, they’re really into it. There’s no easing into this holiday thing.
I love the holidays, but I always make myself ignore the trappings until Thanksgiving. Then, I can hum all the carols I want. I want to savor it for a short while, not drag it out over months and months.
So far, it hasn’t been hard to ignore the holiday feeling because it has been so HOT outside. I spent most of Wednesday outside, and I was sweating so much. In November. That’s just wrong.
But today, it cooled off considerably and felt more like fall. I was in Bath and Body Works where they had holiday candles burning, and I took a big whiff of the Pine Tree candle. I closed my eyes and saw Christmas trees. The candle smelled just like Christmas. I caught myself picturing a big, green frazier fir in the corner of our living room… then made myself stop. Not until Thanksgiving!