Every year, there is that one obnoxious neighbor who has their Christmas lights and decorations up before the month of November even begins. We are forced to stare at these awful bright, red and green attractions while we pull into the driveway, getting ready to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner. The truth is, there is absolutely no earthly reason why anybody should be buying plastic elves or an inflatable Santa Claus to gaudily decorate their yard when it is the middle of October. The spookiness and eerie surprise of Halloween is already being ruined by the invasion of decorations.

Kids are still trying to finish all of their candy that they collected on Halloween, and yet, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go. Since when is it an American norm to celebrate more than one holiday at a time? Some people just can’t seem to wait for the festive season, and neither can radio stations. When it comes to Christmas songs, everybody loves to sing along and listen to the cheerful tunes, but do radio stations absolutely feel the need to blast “Carol of the Bells” on a rainy day in the first week of November? Of course, if you want to have a fun time with your relatives or friends and prepare for the holiday season, then go ahead and play some funky jams. Radio stations, on the other hand, should avoid airing songs until Dec. 1st.

However, many people around the nation seem to decorate earlier because they do not want to feel extra stress when they are shopping for last-minute gifts for their great-aunts and seven cousins. That is understandable, but does putting up a few half-dead lights on your rooftop or your bush really seem like that much “extra stress?” A fresh and living Christmas tree will be dead by the time the holiday actually comes around if it is put up mid-November.

I truly believe that no citizen should drive through their neighborhood and be shocked and almost frightened by the inflatable spiders from Halloween and the ominous presence of the illuminated reindeer whose eyes seem to follow you around. Celebrate each holiday one at a time, and at least have the decency to put up your lights after you and your family have all eaten the turkey.