It is that time of year again; the leaves start to change color, Halloween just passed and sure enough, Christmas decorations are already being hung up.

Do not get me wrong, I love Christmas as much as the next person, but it really makes me question the sanity of my neighbor who hangs their Christmas lights the day after Halloween.  

I get that some people do not celebrate Thanksgiving, but there is a whole month and holiday between Halloween and Christmas. December is an exciting month filled with family and all sorts of holiday smells and activities, but I think it should wait until after Thanksgiving.

Christmas is more about loved ones than it is decorations and gifts, so people should focus more on that than hanging up lights a month in advance. Christmas is about spreading love and giving to those in need, and I do not believe decorating is more important than doing those things.

I would rather donate my time working at a food pantry than hanging up Christmas lights for five hours just to show up my neighbor. Yes, it has gotten to the point where my neighborhood has a competition on who has the better light display. Does anybody have anything better to do with their lives than to compete in a Christmas light competition?

So the real question is, how early is too early to start decorating for Christmas? The answer is quite simple, the day after Halloween. I get it, it is tempting to buy all the Christmas decorations in stores, but stores just release those decorations early to make money. So the next time you are in Hallmark, do not fall into their marketing traps.

After Christmas, the only problem now is when to take the decorations down.