Three Holidays in a Row


 Well here we are again. It's that time of year when three major holidays come at us one right after another. And the decorating has begun.

With Halloween behind us we are heading toward Thanksgiving. We can put away the witches and ghosts but keep the pumpkins and gourds on display. The cornstalks too. And then after Thanksgiving, put the pumpkins and gourds away. Throw out the cornstalks and get on with decorating for Christmas. Some people keep their outside lights in place all year long. Some use Thanksgiving as their marker to put their outside lights back up. We all do it differently. 

Some decorate for Halloween. Leave those decorations in place and add their Thanksgiving decorations to the mix. Then top all of those decorations off with Christmas decorations. It's fun to drive around and see what others have done. I've come to enjoy seeing witches next to Pilgrims and Santa Claus with his reindeer. But I'm one who needs space between the three holidays. I need to give each its own spotlight. It's own time to be enjoyed.  As I said, we all do it differently.

My mother was a meticulous decorator. Everything had its place. Except for sometimes using the same fine tablecloth for Thanksgiving and Christmas, there was no blending of the holidays. She was never big on Halloween. I don't remember any ghouls or monsters on display. Orange candles may have been it. She never taped stuff to the windows. Or put pumpkins on the front porch. To my mother, it was all about decorating for Christmas and that never happened until after Thanksgiving. And when it happened, it was glorious.

My parents always went to the same place for the Christmas tree. She'd always pick out a very tall, very full tree. It was up to my father to get the lights on the tree. He was very particular in how he did that job. He never liked the wires showing. Once the lights were in place out came the boxes of decorations. Many had been bought at Woolworths. I still have a few of those Woolworths decorations. I don't hang them on the tree. I always put them on display for Christmas-after Halloween and Thanksgiving have come and gone.

Happy decorating! There's no right or wrong way. Only your way.


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