A holiday confession

I used to apologize for it, but no more.
I AM one of those people.
I am thrilled when Christmas decorations appear in the store two weeks before Halloween, toy catalogs arrive in September, and magazines with holiday craft ideas on the cover (projects that I must admit I lack any talent for) fill the grocery store racks while we are still shopping in short-sleeved t-shirts.
Santa and his train appeared on our front lawn last night. They would have been there sooner if I could have convinced my husband and the kids to forgo Halloween.
All the kids have Christmas lights in their rooms and our twins have a miniature tree on their train table.
So don't complain to me about any of it.
I love Christmas.
I love the build-up.
I love that cozy feeling.
Bring it on.
But for God's sake, take it down when it's over!
There is a trade-off for the early infusion of Christmas spirit.
When the day is over -- we've been to Christmas service, the gifts are unwrapped, dinner has been eaten and my husband and I have had our nightcaps of calorie-packed Bailey's Irish Cream -- I am so ready to tear it all down.
I try.
I try to keep it up until New Year's, but I usually fail.
One year, the stress was too much.
My husband came home from work on Dec. 27 to find the tree in the bushes behind our house and all the ornaments packed in their boxes. The lights were coiled, the rug was vacuumed and the furniture was back in place.
It was such a relief.
So let's do this:
Let me have my pre-Halloween Christmas giddies.
In return, I will lock all our doors in hopes that I will not sleepwalk through town on Dec. 26, ripping lights off trees, tossing ornaments into boxes and stuffing the greenery into recycling bins.
I'll try if everyone else does.
Happy holidays!