As the spooky season has officially come to an end, time for food, fall colors and family should arrive in full swing, right? Wrong. When the clock struck midnight on Nov. 1, the world whipped out candy canes and Christmas lights like never before. While I am no Grinch and thoroughly love Christmastime, I think we should take time to appreciate Thanksgiving and save Saint Nick for after turkey time.

Especially in Texas, fall is a rarity, and taking time to savor the short autumn we get definitely comes with not skipping straight to the chilly holidays. For most, fall officially begins on Sept. 1, but for us Texans, the blazing heat doesn’t take the back seat until the end of October at the earliest. That leaves us with about a month, potentially a month and a half, to appreciate the fall festivities.

If we jump straight ahead to Christmas, though, the nice weather and orange leaves are overshadowed by the ornament-covered pines and snowy breeze. However, if we simply took the time to savor Thanksgiving, we could also savor our short autumn.

Let’s also mention how Thanksgiving itself is a great holiday that often gets neglected. Sure, there are no Mariah Carey Thanksgiving bops out there or flashy gifts, but there is delicious food and time with family and friends. Turkey day gives us the opportunity to see distant relatives and childhood friends and have conversations over recipes that have passed down through generations.

Even for those who don’t celebrate Thanksgiving with family, Friendsgiving has become a popular substitute for people who want to give thanks to their friendships and various traditions across different people. The holiday itself deserves a little more appreciation; by overlooking it, we don’t take the time to treasure it for all it is.

Finally, celebrating Christmas too early just might ruin the snowy holiday and turn everyone into a Scrooge. While it may seem impossible to hate Christmas, let me explain the possibility with an example.

Have you ever loved a song so much that you listen to it on repeat for days, maybe even weeks, until suddenly you hate it and physically can’t stand to listen to it for at least another month? If you answered yes, then apply the same idea to Christmas.

Sure, right now, the idea of hot cocoa and Christmas carols are excellent, but what happens when for the next two months, that’s all our lives revolve around? Personally, by the time Dec. 25 actually rolls around, I’d want to chuck my radio across the room at the sound of sleigh bells ringing. While this may not be the case for everyone, it should be considered for those who related to the initial example.

I’d like to reiterate that I love Christmas and the season that it encapsulates, but it’s time to stop celebrating it two months in advance. The great thing about Dec. 25 is that it will still be Christmas, even if we wait to celebrate it until after Thanksgiving.