By Randy Capps
Readers of this column are aware of the habit we have of putting up our Christmas tree on Labor Day weekend.
It’s a subject that I’ve debated more than once with incredulous lovers of Halloween or those who prefer to wait until Thanksgiving to start paying attention to Christmas.
There are many different ways to celebrate the holidays, including not celebrating them at all. If ignoring the holiday season all together makes you happy, go for it. If your tree stays up all year, that’s cool, too.
Figure out where your happy place is, and go that way.
For me, the jumpstart on the Christmas season is two-fold. First, it gets me in the mindset to start working on this edition. In the decade I’ve been doing this, June and December have always been the showpieces of the magazine, and a festive spirit makes the latter one a little easier to compile.
The second is even more important. It makes me happy.
Happiness can be an elusive thing for me, and putting up our spinny tree and the Countdown to Christmas blocks so early that I don’t have high enough numbers to properly display the days makes me smile just thinking about it.
It’s a little thing I can do for my own mental health, and I’m all about taking wins where I can find them.
Happy Holidays!
