FromtheEditor...
Following our recent wedding, Wyndi and I caught the 30th anniversary screening of “Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas.”
For those who have somehow missed this cult classic, it tells the story of Jack Skellington, ‘The Pumpkin King’ of Halloweentown, an alternate world completely centered on the October holiday and all things spooky. Jack finds the gates to all holiday worlds and becomes so enchanted with Christmas that he gets all of his monster neighbors to help in taking on the holiday with horrible results.
Burton is not actually the director of the movie but he came up with the idea completely. The story goes that while he was working as an animator at Disney in the 80’s, he watched a department store shift all of their Window decorations from Halloween to Christmas and he wondered what would happen when those worlds meet.
The story helps highlight that store have pushed Christmas early for decades now, but it also shows how often Thanksgiving gets overlooked in the holiday order. Several of our firends already have Christmas trees up and I usually respond with a sarcastic “Happy Thanksgiving” when the photos are shared (although I fully endorse people decorating their homes however they please).
Honestly, I have smacktalked Thanksgving in the past as being a holiday for the food-obsessed, but it gives people an excuse and a work holiday so they can get together with friends and family and remember thing for which they are grateful.
It’s hard to hate a holiday spreading positivity when the world seems quick to criticize.
So put up your Christmas trees as early as you want but don’t pass over a chance to share time and a meal with someone special.