The Thanksgiving leftovers are still in the fridge, yet today we are already talking about Christmas. They say the tryptophan in turkey slows you down, but with only three shopping weeks until Christmas, the time will pass at warp speed.
Plenty has been said about how the Christmas season starts too early, with stores decorating for Dec. 25 in early November.
This is not about that. It's not that the weeks leading up to Christmas are so many, it's that the winter months to follow are so long.
There's enough pressure on retailers to turn their numbers around, and shoppers to stretch what they have without worrying about the calendar.
In Carson Valley, tradition reserves the first week of December for the public celebrations of the season. Those include celebrations and tree lightings in Gardnerville, Minden and Genoa, and culminates in a parade of lights through the middle of town on Saturday.
These celebrations are designed to battle back the dark and cold days with the gaiety and spirit of the season.
So light the lights, break out the Santa hats and get ready for three weeks of celebration.
