The Unfortunate Rush To End The Year

Forget Christmas. Bring on the New Year!

I read that, and my stomach hurts.  For weeks, pre-Thanksgiving, there's the debate of when is it too early to celebrate Christmas.  So many are worried that getting in the Christmas spirit early will cause us to forget the importance of Thanksgiving.  I totally understand the outcry.  So why is it then, that it seems each year, we are more and more excited to end the year, almost skipping past Christmas?

If you're wondering where this concern is coming from, I direct you to talk shows, morning shows, and social media.  By this point, everyone is starting to share what I call the "Year In Review" lists.  You know the type: the best movies of 2015, best news bloopers of 2015, your biggest Facebook posts of 2015, best viral videos of 2015, best celeb tweets of 2015...  you get the idea.  On the Today show this week, they've spent a couple different mornings with these "year in review" video segments, complete with the "In Memorium" segment.  Last I checked, the year isn't over, as we still have half of December, including that holiday we beg for starting post Halloween, which is Christmas. Before we start worry about looking back and reflecting on "Auld Lang Syne" (times long past), let's focus on celebrating Christmas!  We have a whole week to fill with reflection and best of lists post Christmas.  Seriously, what else are you going to be doing?  So many people use their vacation time that week, and there's only so much of out of town guest you can handle, right?

I get why talk shows are doing it, although I disagree.  Due to vacations, this is the last week they'll all be together to reflect on memories as a team. Starting next week, it'll just be pieces of the team.  I get the though process, but why not fill the time with stories of joy and Christmas miracles and good doing, instead of skipping over it?  It's a little self indulgent, and the viewers will have no problem enjoying it next week. In fact I'm sure we'll see the replays next week anyway.

Just in case you're worried, we too will have plenty of year end lists.  So many of them are ready to go.  But there's a time and place for everything, so you'll see them after Christmas.  One holiday at a time, and year-end reflection is certainly more New Years than Christmas.