As November wraps its cool arms around Lamorinda, I expect to see jack-o-lanterns still on every porch and Halloween decorations on every front lawn- not Christmas decorations in store windows and holiday deals in the newspaper.  Generally, Christmas hype starts to show two or three weeks before Thanksgiving, but this year it looks like everyone can’t wait ’till the end of November to start spreading the Christmas cheer.

I’m not talking about a few pine wreaths sprinkled through the neighborhoods. I saw blatant Christmas displays weeks before Halloween came around.

While some might not see that as a big deal, I take the sequence of winter holidays seriously. First comes Halloween, then comes Thanksgiving, and THEN comes Christmas–in that order, thank you very much.

The systematic way the winter holidays are supposed to be recognized is one of many traditions I like to uphold once the weather turns cold.

On the other hand, I’ve hated the idea of changing traditions since before I hit high school, so I’m not exactly unbiased.

Senior Jake Thomas doesn’t seem to think the same way I do.  “I haven’t seen anybody wearing Christmas sweaters or any Christmas stuff,” he said. “That’s what really defines the holidays for me.”

Junior Amanda Ratcliff, however, disagrees.  “I think Christmas is coming too soon this year,” she said.  “Christmas stuff should start coming after Thanksgiving…or at least after Halloween.  I mean, please, one holiday at a time.”

As a hard-core traditionalist, I’m not the biggest fan of the ever shrinking wait for Christmas–I believe that Christmas cheer should wait until at least the week right before Thanksgiving, which leaves both Halloween and Thanksgiving to have their full time in the spotlight before Christmas overshadows both of them.

Though I turn into a real Scrooge about change, I can’t deny that the coming of Christmas is always an exciting time–no matter how many jack-o-lanterns I still see when people begin to put up Christmas lights.