I declare November 1st to be the beginning of the Thanksgiving/Christmas season. Yes, I put both Thanksgiving and Christmas together.
Thanksgiving
and Christmas both remind me of wonderful family fellowship and God’s
innumerable blessings to be thankful for. Both holidays encourage compassion,
generosity, kindness, and love for others.
Extended
family being together and mom’s homecooked food made a nice combination. Gift
exchanges often occurred at Christmas too.
I
cherish marvelous memories of Thanksgivings and Christmases together with
family. Others did the cooking for the fellowship meal. But at mom’s I was
usually the one who added the extra chairs in the dining room. I wanted
everyone to have a seat in the same room.
If
you’re not able to get together with family or friends for Thanksgiving or
Christmas, perhaps you can enjoy nice fellowship and food at some church or
community gathering.
For
some, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and/or other holidays are a sad or even
depressing time due to a loved one that has passed on, bad memories, etc.
Numerous resources offer articles that may help. These include a UC Davis article, [1] a Johns Hopkins Medicinearticle, [2] a Mayo Clinic article, [3] and a Mental Health America of Wisconsin article.[4]
But
for me and I hope most others, it’s a joyous, wonderful time of year.
Christmas
Music
Christmas
music helps get me in the Christmas spirit.
In
Lexington, Kentucky, where I live, one radio station (94.5 FM) often begins
playing Christmas music on the evening of October 31st. I love it!
During the Christmas season I often play either the radio tuned to that station or one of my CDs or audiocassettes. I still have more audiocassettes than CDs. In 2016 I wrote a Blogger article about Christmas music that lists 133 Christmas songs.
My
Christmas Decorations
Yesterday,
November 2nd, 2025, I put up my Christmas tree and some of my
decorations. Today I put up more. However, I’ll wait till the Friday after
Thanksgiving to put up my outdoor decorations out of respect for my neighbors
who are not yet ready for the season.
When to take them down? I sometimes take mine down on December 26th, but I often wait till January. I wrote a Blogger article in 2013 about when to take Christmas decorations down.
Below is a photo of my decorated Christmas tree. Not visible in the photo are some candles, greenery, and snow globes in the background. It’s a small tree, less than one foot tall. But it adds nicely to my apartment’s décor.
More
About Christmas
Christmas means a lot to me, as I discussed in a 2016 Blogger article.
Snow
at Christmas makes it even more special. Here in Kentucky a white Christmas
(one with at least 1 inch of snow on the ground) seldom happens. But when it
does, it adds a calm, peaceful, seasonal aspect to the atmosphere. The “Let It
Snow” banner pictured below is in my apartment. I plan to put a second one up
on the outside of my apartment door after Thanksgiving.
The
birth of Jesus may often be sidelined, and indeed Jesus likely was not born on
December 25th. Still, I think it’s a great tradition to celebrate
his birth on that day. I look forward to putting the Nativity scene pictured
below on my door after Thanksgiving.
Relatively
few persons still send out Christmas cards. But I enjoy sending and receiving them. I
post those received in my apartment.
I
also send Facebook and email greetings, as well as making phone calls. However,
there’s something about a colorful Christmas card with a beautiful scene--and a
personal note added—that is special.
I hope you agree with the message on the plaque that is pictured below.
Christmas
is for everyone. The teachings of Jesus are appreciated by many who are not
Christians. Furthermore, lots of others love the festivities and “Christmas
Spirit” of the season.
If
there is a friend, neighbor, or relative you’ve not been in contact with
recently, Christmas (or Thanksgiving) is an especially wonderful time to renew
that relationship with a visit, phone call, email, Facebook message, Christmas
card, gift, etc. Christmas is also a nice time to donate to worthy charities.
Happy
Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas, everyone!
ENDNOTES:
[1] “10 tips to
reduce stress and take care of yourself during the holidays”; UC Davis;
December 12, 2023, updated December 19, 2024; webpage accessed November 3, 2025; https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/cultivating-health/10-tips-to-reduce-stress-and-take-care-of-yourself-during-the-holidays/2023/12
[2] “4 Mindful Tips to De-Stress This Holiday Season”; Johns Hopkins Medicine; webpage accessed November 3, 2025; https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/4-mindful-tips-to-destress-this-holiday-season
NOTE:
I work part-time at a retail store that offers many items related to Thanksgiving and Christmas among the numerous things it sells.
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