When I hear the music change to a certain playlist at the start of December, or even as early as November, I know that it is coming.
When the commercials on TV start changing its background music to include bells jingling and start showing a snowy, red and green version of itself, I know that it is coming.
When almost all of the stores in the mall start putting out signs that say “Buy your gifts now!”, I know that it is coming.
It’s Christmas. More like, Christmas has been in progress since Halloween ended. The sudden change in mood from orange and black to red and green is so quick that people slap on their Santa hats and start chortling, “ho, ho, ho!” on November 1st.
I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a Christmas without all the pre-Christmas that comes with it. Every year, the signs, lights, and inaccurate religious symbols push themselves into my lifestyle, reminding me that I haven’t enjoyed Christmas since the sixth grade.
I sigh.