One of my signature moves is to totally blow off Christmas shopping until 30 minutes before I'm supposed to drive over to whatever Christmas celebration I'm attending (and by "whatever Christmas celebration I'm attending," I really mean Willow's, because that's where I go every year).
The result is usually some last minute online gift card (bless the internet) or the hurried wrapping of a dead plant or random book off a shelf. What? Like you haven't been there, done that.
I blame this phenomenon not on the fact that I'm a bad friend with other redeeming qualities, but on the fact that stores start the Christmas plug earlier every year. It irritates me to the point that I end up boycotting the whole thing. Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
This year, however, the Christmas assault did not start in September. Or in October. And in most cases, not in November yet, either. I think stores are starting to Christmas things up now, but they're starting slowly. It's as if the corporate grand poobahs got together and asked themselves, how can we get Elena in a Christmas shopping spirit this year? And then they came up with a radical idea: back the hell off! (Alternatively, they might be thinking that immoderate materialism might not be appropriate given the political climate. Either or.)
Well, gentlemen (I assume they're men in suits because, you know, The Man), it worked.
It is now about a week before Thanksgiving, I have not seen a ton of Christmas decorations, I have not been assaulted by Christmas music, and I have not been subjected to an overwhelming number of ads for Black Friday. In fact, I have seen none. In fact, I am interested in what Best Buy is doing on Black Friday, and I can't find any info about it. Sweet. Of course, I TiVo through the ads, but when they're everywhere you can't really avoid them.
As a result, or for other reasons that may be unrelated, I am starting to feel the Christmas spirit. I look forward to playing Christmas music starting after Thanksgiving, I fully intend to decorate over the long weekend instead of on Christmas Eve eve, and I have started purchasing Christmas gifts. THIS YEAR'S Christmas gifts, not last year's. I'm just going to give up on last year's at this point.
All y'all should prepare for very public and very inappropriate displays of affection. It can't be helped. I have the Christmas in me.

