On my way to work this morning, the radio reminded me that today is the halfway mark to Christmas… only six months to go!

Every year it seems as though stores jump the gun on special shopping periods. You can take any holiday for example. Easter, Valentines Day, Christmas, Fourth of July… every holiday’s shopping period always seems to start earlier and earlier every year.

Now that Christmas is only six months away, how long before we start seeing tinsel and lawn angels flourish the stores along with cheery Christmas tunes and the Ring-a-ding Salvation Army Santa Claus? I don’t remember the specifics of years past, but my guess is going to be just before Halloween.

Thinking about the Christmas season is already making me cold (or it might have something to do with the air conditioner being at full blast all the time in this office... maybe I should spend my lunch outside thawing instead of writing for my blog...)

I do love Christmas time… it really is the most wonderful time of the year… but that’s exactly it, it is just a time of the year. If these market stores keep adding a week prior to the shopping season over their previous year, then in my lifetime, there will be a full year of Christmas… ‘time’.

There would be perks to this all year Christmas extravaganza…

• People are generally cheery during the Christmas season, even when temperatures dip below zero
• There is a surge of people wanting to help others less fortunate than themselves
• There are so many ‘sites’ to see like festivals of lights that you can stay entertained and mystified by the buildings with ornate designs and creativity of not only parks and zoos, but now your neighbors more than ever
  **not to mention these make great dates!

So if the Christmas Season lasted all year it wouldn’t be a bad thing… but the Christmas season only lasts as long as the Christmas mindset is held. This we would fail.

With all this cheer, we’d be spending too much money on hot cocoa and little chocolate candies. Our wallets would go empty along with our spirits. Everyone would become annoyed and then angry. While tempers flared driving would become dangerous with road rage at every yield sign. Accidents would occur; lives would be taken and loved ones lost. Now the children without any parents would be scared and run. Streets would become overpopulated with kids who have by now become tough as nails with street slang and lollipops instead of cigarettes (cause if there’s one thing our school’s actually harp upon its anti-drugs). With the kids now running the streets and all the police preoccupied with Christmas present plunderers just trying to keep their Christmas spirit alive, the kids would take charge. Adults would be scared to leave the house with fear of the now unionized children who’s only demand is that the jolly fat guy with a white beard is handed over, unharmed… so they can ‘take care’ of him. Adults wouldn’t be able to go to work and whatever money they had left after their spending on Christmas cheer would vanish. Soon wars would break out between child tribes and Lord of the Flies would become a reality.

Dear Mr./Ms. owner of department stores and all markets of Christmas related paraphernalia, For reasons mentioned above, I ask you to please keep the Christmas season to the two months of November and December. It is in our best interest that Christmas 'Specials' do not start until the day after Thanksgiving and commercials/advertisements not start until November 1st of the given year. Our survival depends on it. Always looking out for the world, yours truly... _Jason Pawlak_