By Danny Minton

I stumbled across a conversation this week where people were discussing when they put up their Christmas trees. It may sound like a strange question almost one hundred days from Christmas, with Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays still on the horizon, but it was a serious back-and-forth between a few dozen people. I was surprised by how many said they put their tree up in September. Others waited until the first of October, and many said they put it up right after Halloween. A few even kept their tree up all year, with one saying she knew someone who kept it decorated and wrapped in plastic wrap until it was time to unveil it for the holidays.

This week I received an email advertising outdoor Christmas decorations for sale. My wife and I walked into the mall, and the first thing we noticed were several decorated Christmas trees and displays of bright decorations. Everywhere we went, braving triple-digit temperatures, there were visions of snowflakes, snowmen, decorated green wreaths and trees, and music boxes playing familiar holiday tunes. Still one hundred days to go, and Christmas is already making its presence known.

What makes people want to start thinking of the Christmas season so early? I recognized part of the answer in reading the conversation on Christmas trees. To some, it made their sadness fade a little. I’m not sure where their sadness came from, but the brightness of the decorations and the joyful music filling the air seemed to touch a part of their hearts that, for some reason, had been hurting. To some, Christmas brings back memories of family and happy times when everyone would get together; times before the kids were grown or a loved one we had lost was still with us. We carry memories we wish we could relive, and for many, they center on the Christmas season. 

The musical theme from the movie “Home Alone” paints a vivid picture of how many people feel during the Christmas holidays. A time away from our troubles of today and all the negatives of life around us.

“Somewhere in my memory, Christmas joys all around me. Living in my memory, all of the music, all of the magic, all of the family, home here with me.”

Another song I mentioned a couple of years ago is from the movie “Mame,” called “We Need a Little Christmas.” When her life is low, the main character, Mame, decides that to cheer everyone up, they need to decorate for Christmas.

“For we need a little music, need a little laughter, need a little singing, ringing in the rafters. And we need a little something, ‘Happy ever after,’ we need a little Christmas now.” “Yes, we need a little Christmas, right this very minute. We need a little Christmas now!”

The whole conversation made me stop and think about what Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippian church. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

When we focus on the good in life, the things that dampen our spirits fade, or at least lessen the feelings that bring sadness or negatively affect our lives. To many, Christmas brings a little joy that can lessen the heartaches in their lives. Many feel that uplifting spirit when they walk into a store or room, smell the evergreen trees and scents of Christmas, and are surrounded by brightly lit trees and decorations that create a time when we can escape the things that darken our world.

As for me, I don’t start decorating inside until the first of November and outside the day after Thanksgiving, although some decorations stay up year-round. It’s not to keep the spirit of Christmas alive, but because I don’t have room to store it all. After all, I have a dozen trees in the garage, although I only put up around eight or nine each year. 

If you take the “when” out of “when someone starts decorating” and ask “why they decorate early,” you can understand “what decorating early does to their spirit.” It just makes you feel better. So, if you want to put your tree up now, go ahead. If you want to play Christmas music, turn up the volume. If you want to hang up mistletoe and holly, go for it. If it makes you feel better and lifts your spirit, pop in the CD of “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “It Happened on Fifth Avenue.” 

And somewhere along the way, take time to listen to Linus’ answer to Charlie Brown’s question, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about!?” Linus steps on the stage, “Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about,” and begins, “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night,” and continues quoting about the birth of Christ from Luke 2. He then picks up his blanket and walks off stage. 

And every day of the year, that story should always remain, “Somewhere in My Memory.”

Danny Minton, a member of Southern Hills Church of Christ, is a hospital chaplain