Obviously, as I’m not about to have a baby, this post is from last year. However, I’ve noticed the wars already starting on Facebook, as The Police complain about the rise of Christmas decorations, and The Liberalists cheer while they gleefully listen to Christmas music. So I couldn’t help but bring it up again this year and ask the question: which are you?


There are two types of people in the world: Holiday Liberalists and The Holiday Police.

The Liberalest of the Holiday Liberalists consist of the people who choose to start playing Christmas music in stores, put the decorations out in malls, and start selling Christmas Candy, all on the day after Halloween.

(Oh, and of course Hallmark that starts selling ornaments on July 1st. The Hallmarks are the undisputed Liberalist Royal Family.)

The Holiday Police are those who believe that never ever should you even mention the C word until after Thanksgiving – nay, maybe not even until December 1st.

And, thus, the two factions immediately begin their war each year at the end of October, spouting off indignant statements in each other’s general direction.

From the Police regarding the Liberalists…

“I can’t believe that there are Christmas decorations up ALREADY!!! What about Thanksgiving?!!?!?

(as if there aren’t Christmas decorations up at this point every year.)

From the Liberals to the Police…

“Oh, don’t be such a Grinch! Thanksgiving IS part of the Christmas season!!!”

(Horrified Gasps ensue from The Police.)

I was raised in a Holiday Police Household. We spent the month of November putting red and brown and orange feathers in our quilted Turkey each day, signifying what we were thankful for. We didn’t dare start our Christmas lists or ask for Christmas music until after the Cornucopious Holiday of Thanksgiving was over, along with it’s trailing long weekend.

(I think my Mom might have even hidden the Sears Dream Book until the appropriate time for us to have thoughts of such things.)

But I married a definite Holiday Liberalist. Always excited about Christmas in the most Griswold of fashions, my husband loves to “get just a little head start on the Christmas decorations” … “You know, because we’ll be so busy Thanksgiving weekend and all. And wouldn’t the house look pretty to be lit up ON Thanksgiving night??”

And I have to admit, as much as it’s going to break my Holiday Police Mom’s heart, after almost ten years of marriage, he’s completely won me over.

(Although I do have a fair amount of guilt over the fact that I have done no fallish-colored Turkey Feathers of Thankfulness with Ali.)

The logic that tipped the scales this year was when he reminded me that “we’re going to miss a whole week of Christmas while we’re in the hospital having Noah – we need to get started celebrating as early as possible if we’re going to have a proper Christmas!”

And so, for the first time ever, I started playing Christmas music…on my own…Last Week.

(Shameful, I know. I can feel my Mother’s saddened, distressed, and tear-filled eyes upon me as I type.)

And, since I knew the flammably controversial issue that this sort of musical behavior was, I mentioned it on Facebook (citing my least favorite Christmas songs and asking what everyone else’s were), just for the pure entertainment of watching the arguments pour in, as people right and left identified themselves by their objections or cheers as Holiday Police or Holiday Liberalists.

It was pure Facebook War awesomeness.

But in our family, it is official: the Christmas holidays are in full swing.

And so, if you pass our house, you might see that our Christmas lights are already up.

And, if Chris finds the time, you might even see our Christmas tree in the window very soon.

And, because he wants to make sure to raise another little Liberalist just like him, you might even see a very happy little girl, staring wondrously and gleefully at her already decorated-for-the-holidays dollhouse:

DollhouseVertical

…And I have a feeling I may have just won myself the inheritance of that Quilted Turkey from my childhood…after all, The Christmas Police don’t let people leave their party easily, especially when the fate of their Grandchildren’s holiday loyalty is at stake.

18 thoughts on “Happy Holiday Wars!

  1. I have been listening to Christmas music for weeks!!! It is never too early!!! Love the doll house. My sister and I used to put up lights in our room when we were little too. We try to wait to put up decorations until after Thanksgiving, but that doesn’t mean I am not thinking about it and planning. I have already bought some gifts too. Yay Christmas!!

  2. I am a die-hard Police woman. We are making our turkey hands, thankful trees, and Pilgrim and Indian hats next week. Its the only season I know how to be crafty with and I am going to zap it for all its worth.

  3. I guess I would call myself a Christmas moderate. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas. My husband says he has never met anyone who loves it as much as me, but I don’t put up decorations until after Thanksgiving. For me, Thanksgiving night is the beginning of the Christmas season. When I was a kid it was marked by some network playing The Grinch Who Stole Christmas every Thanksgiving night. But I did totally play Christmas music last weekend while I was working. :)

  4. Liberalist. Why stifle something as lovely and heartwarming as the Christmas season? Also, we don’t have the Thanksgiving conflict up here in the Great White North – Thanksgiving is before Halloween.

    As far as getting the lights up, there are practical reasons… who wants to be blown around on a ladder in sub-zero weather hanging Christmas lights? I’d much rather get them up on one of those warmish fall days that fall around the end of October.

  5. As usual, I’d say I’m a moderate ;)

    I don’t mind the Christmas decorations or music. I start my shopping early. But I don’t put up my own decorations or play my Christmas music until after Thanksgiving.

    But after that, it’s on like Donkey Kong ;)

  6. I remember my first conversation with my husband about this, because while I LOVE getting a head start on Christmas music (a week or two into November, thank you!) I don’t usually put up my Christmas tree until the day after Thanksgiving.

    My husband maintains that the tree should not be put up until his birthday.

    On December 12th.

    Yeah, no, babe, sorry. I get the 12 days of Christmas symbolism, but NO.

  7. Usually we are a split household on the whole decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving. My husband is the liberalist, I myself am a police woman. But for some unknown reason this year I have been pulled to the other side. I have been enjoying the sound of Christmas music and I’m finding it hard to believe.

  8. Ummmmm…. I was listening to one of my Christmas CDs in July just because I wanted to hear the music. Now, what does that make me? I buy presents all along when I happen to see something that makes me think of someone. Decoration? I think it should be done the weekend before Thanksgiving because living in the great state of Alabama/Auburn Thanksgiving weekend is now a football weekend I am not allowed to miss. In my heart decorations go up the day after Thanksgiving but…… OK, now that you brought it up, where is my list?????

  9. I’ve always been a Liberalist (decorating & putting up the tree the 1st wkend in Nov) & still consider myself one, but with baby preparations in full swing I’ve seriously slacked this year. I think it’s a mind game I’m playing with myself…

  10. I am a liberalist on things not seen and a police on things seen. Celebrate Christmas all year, including but not limited to playing CD’s and getting a start on the shopping. After all, Christ’s birth is worth it! But when it comes to decorations and store displays – I’ll snap at you if it’s up any earlier than Thanksgiving, or later than the Saturday after. Don’t feel pressured to take those lights down before New Year’s either.

  11. I’m a bit of both.
    The tradition at our house was that the “men” went to cut down a Christmas tree on Thanksgiving morning while the “women” cooked dinner. How fair is that??????!!!!!!!!! Do you know what it is like to be left home with a bunch of women cooking in the kitchen?
    We would decorate the tree the day after Thanksgiving. I always loved decorating the tree. Each decoration had a memory associated with it. Mom’s favorite green glass star. The egg carton decorations made while dad was in grad school. The red velvet pepper from the years we lived in NM. Christmas is so fun. I love the decorations, food, music, and the smells of the season. Now if someone can just come up with something to look forward to in January. :)

  12. I was raised by a mother who insisted on letting Thanksgiving have it’s time so Christmas had to be later. So I’m trying to get more fall decorations (leaves, turkeys, scarecrows, pumpkins, etc) because I like having stuff up for awhile instead of just a few days. Along with that, our Christmas decorations last til mid-January as I’m trying to incorporate all the Christmas traditions of our mixed heritage (Swedish, German, Irish, British) I refuse to play Christmas music til the day after Thanksgiving because I don’t want to be sick of it by Dec 25 so now that Wal-Mart is already playing it (and getting it stuck in my head!) I’m cranky when shopping. I know there has to be some overlap with decorating but I still prefer to take it one holiday at a time.

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