it's an odd phenomenon.

out here in the country, people put up their christmas decorations sometime in early november, alongside of their halloween decorations. the halloween decorations disappear sometime right before thanksgiving, and then the full-blown christmas decorations have taken up their temporary residence in people's yards.

and being the hardcore anglican that i've become, i think it's preposterous. it's not even advent yet. but when in rome....

today we started on our christmas decorations. one reason is that we have a HOUSEFULL of family coming for the most wonderful time of the year, and i want to create an atmosphere of cozy for them.

but the main reason we've started decorating 3 days after thanksgiving is because i have this need to teach my neighbors how to actually decorate for christmas. don't you wish everyone had the same taste that you did in decorating? let me rephrase that: do you wish the person who created those giant plastic snowglobes and gianter inflatable santas, reindeer, and worse yet...tigger (or fill-in-the-blank-disney-character) with a santa hat had perhaps invented them in guam or greenland instead of the US? i apologize if you are fond of these lawn atrocities ornaments. i just don't get them. but unfortunately, 90% of those who decorate for christmas, have purchased them and they've set up shop already on the front lawns of said 90% of americans.

so in protest of these plastic santas, we've hung our lights and wreaths and called it done. simple. elegant. very little electricity required.