Bad Year, Not Why You Think

This is the kind of year I hate. I am very specific about a year I will hate. I can predict it years in advance just by looking at the calendar. What is my hate based on? A November that only has four Thursdays, thus making Thanksgiving the last Thursday in the month. Top it off this Thanksgiving is very late in the month, on the 28th, as late a date as Thanksgiving can ever be because November started on a Friday. When November starts on a Thursday then there are five Thursdays in the month.

The next time we have five Thursdays in November is 2023. This year Thanksgiving weekend ends in December! I don’t care that there are fewer December shopping dates, we all need less stuff. But having fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas means that my decorating and celebrating time gets compressed.

Normally I have a needlepoint Christmas at my house the first Monday in December. It has been on everyone’s calendars for years. Only recently did I notice that the first Monday is December is the Monday after Thanksgiving. There is no way I can have Thanksgiving, get all the a Christmas out of the attic, decorate the whole house, cook all the food for lunch for 13, set a beautiful table and have people arrive at my house at 11 AM.

I had to change the plan. Since I couldn’t change the date we changed the location and are going out for Needlepoint Christmas. I hate to do that, but it can’t be helped.

I am still going to be pushed to decorate the house as it is. Carter will not be happy about having to help get the tree and 56 boxes from the attic right before she flys back to Boston, but this is what is going to have to happen since she is going back on Saturday.

If you haven’t started your Christmas panic, this is your friendly warning to get moving. Time will get short fast and before you have finished eating turkey soup you will be behind on Christmas. Next year will be slightly better, but we are going to have to hold out until 2023 for a really good year.