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COLUMN: Put away the bats and cobwebs, bust out the holly and garland

'Our tree likely won’t go up for just over a week, but the bins are being pulled out this week,' says reporter and die-hard Christmas fan
2021-10-31 Snowmen
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It's Nov. 1, and you know what that means!

Tell the neighbours to put the orange and black away and grab the Rubbermaid bins overflowing with red and green from the garage.

This is a reminder to all stores to stock your shelves like Santa’s Workshop exploded all over the place.

Yes, my name is Shawn and I’m a Christmas person. 

I used to only think about decorating for the festive season the day of the Santa Claus parade, usually the third weekend in November. When the pandemic hit last year, my wife and I decided if it made our family happy, let's do it and started decorating earlier than anytime before.

With the Santa Claus parade cancelled again in 2021, we will likely start early and maybe leave the tradition that way moving forward, because why not?

The whole start of the season is magical, from the stores putting out merchandise and decorations to the highly anticipated moment that radio stations play 24 hour holiday music until Boxing Day.

Yes, I will listen to it all day until Dec. 26 and, yes, it drives my kids nuts!

We have two trees. One goes by the fireplace and is the regular family tree where all the gifts go, and then we have a second, smaller tree that holds all of my Downtown Barrie heritage ornaments, of which I have the whole collection.

If it is cold outside, I am usually too wrapped up in the Hallmark Christmas movies to notice.

And yes, men can enjoy those movies, too. They’re fantastic and not all of them have the same plot. Some have a coffee shop as a main setting, some have a hot chocolate stand. Totally different. 

I know, I know. Halloween just ended. You’re right, it just ended so why not get going on the festive feeling.

And before you say it, my love and admiration for the brave men and women who fought in wars is well known. Putting decorations up before Remembrance Day is not disrespectful to veterans and I have yet to speak to any who feel it is. 

Three years ago, I asked a veteran if it was wrong to put Christmas decorations up before Nov. 11 and, after he called me “a daft idiot,” he said his go up on Nov. 3 every year. 

Our tree likely won’t go up for just over a week, but the bins are being pulled out this week.

Christmas movies. Traditional Christmas movies are the best late-night thing to watch. I actually started looking for what was available on the streaming services we have and am looking forward to settling in with my wife and enjoying the Griswolds, the McCallisters, and the Baileys.

But not the McClanes, because Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. (Editor's note: Yes it is.)

I enjoy heading to the stores on the first of November and nearly every day after just to see what new holiday item I can pick up to add to the family collection. We get at least one Christmas book every year and have already picked up a snow globe with a red letter 'A' for our nearly three-year-old.

Maybe there are those who still feel like anything before December is too early for Christmas, that's fine. You don’t have to dive in; just dip your toes.

Head to a coffee shop and listen to the soft jazz music with a flavoured coffee. 

Walk around a store and just look at the Christmas decorations. You don’t have to buy any.

It's the best season, in my opinion. I used to think there was no way anyone should even think about the Christmas mood before December, but if the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that you never know what tomorrow brings. 

So you do you. 

Get your holiday season on and don’t let anyone tell you shouldn’t.

Their heart is probably full of unwashed socks and their soul is full of gunk.

Shawn Gibson is a staff reporter with BarrieToday. He really loves Christmas. Like, a lot.