Halloween is officially over, which can mean only one thing: Christmas is in a couple of weeks.
Well, you would think so with every story already proudly displaying their Christmas decorations and goods. Did Thanksgiving already happen and I missed it? The way things have been going lately I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if that was the case, but I don’t think so.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for Christmas. When the actual time comes I’ll probably write a blog detailing my love for the season and the incredibly kind nature of people during that oh-so-festive time of the year.
However, at the moment, I’m just not ready to have faux-pine needles and jingle bells shoved down my throat. It seems that in the last three days, I haven’t been able to enter a single store without a red and green barrage of the senses.
I understand many people begin decorating this early, and I’m sure the businesses want to get a jump on their profit margin for the season, but can’t we enjoy the rest of autumn before considering snowfall and temperatures below freezing?
I suppose that’s my real complaint. I am just not ready for winter yet. It’s bad enough we almost had a white Halloween, now everyone seems to be ready for plow season and all the joy that comes with shoveling, salting and slipping across the ever-present New York ice patches.
Perhaps it’s because I don’t own a snowmobile that I have never found the same love for snow as my fellow Chenango County residents. In fact, I have never even been on a snowmobile. I enjoy playing in the snow: sledding, snow men, snowball fights, etc. But I enjoy heading inside to warm up even more.
Winter camping is fun, but that always goes hand-in-hand with a woodpile stacked 3 feet high and a rip-roaring fire.
So why miss out on all autumn has to offer? The foliage is still dazzling with rich and vibrant hues, the most American holiday of all, Thanksgiving, is right around the corner (vast amounts of food and family) and blessedly, the weather is still fairly mild during the day.
Therefore, before breaking out the Christmas decorations and hastening the incoming cold weather, stop to enjoy the season because by January, everyone will be ruing the day they wished for snow in upstate New York.
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