Christmas comes only once a year, and at the very end of the year, for that matter. Like most people, I too, wish to prolong Christmas as long as possible.

We all wish to have the smell of pine cones linger in the air a little longer, the sound of wrapping paper to crinkle all the more, and the sight of food mounds to become even bigger.

But that’s what makes Christmas so special; it only comes once a year in December. Late December. Not October and certainly not September. DECEMBER.

Therefore, there should be no Christmas-related decorations before Thanksgiving. The early onslaught of decorations is both crushing and stressful. The pressure to find the perfect gift is hard enough without the grocery store shoving ornaments down our throats as we try and purchase a simple gallon of milk.

Grocery stores, such as Fry’s and  Basha’s, need to keep the pumpkins out a little longer and refrain from hanging the brightly colored stockings the day of Halloween.

The ginger spice coffee creamer needs to be seen on the shelf even after Thanksgiving and not the eggnog creamer three weeks before.

There are so many holidays in November, including Veteran’s day, Hanukkah, and even the unofficial holiday of Black Friday. But nobody cares about those miniscule holidays because Christmas decorations are already gracing the shelves.

But it’s not just the grocery stores that jump the proverbial Christmas gun.

Communities also pre-decorate. The colorful Christmas lights that deck the front of yards in the middle of November are clearly pubescent. The lovely garden gnomes that disguise themselves as mini Santa Clauses are unfortunately premature.

With all the build-up two months in advance, when the day of Christmas actually arrives, the specialness of it has dwindled down. We, as a society, have amped up the holidays so much, they no longer resemble a “holiday” but a convenient advertisement enhancer.

The holidays are a special time of year and no other celebration can compete with the popularity of Christmas, but that doesn’t mean the celebration should come early.

So put the lights back in their cobwebbed corner, return the eggnog to the back of the fridge, and put the Christmas lists on hold.

Enjoy the gravy, revel in the cranberry sauce, and smell the pumpkins once in a while.