Step away from the Christmas lights — we haven’t even finished Thanksgiving dinner yet

Call us curmudgeons, but we have to ask: Why are inflatable Santas already showing up in front yards?

And why are we seeing fully decorated Christmas trees in people’s living rooms? (These “pines” must be artificial, because the tree lots are only now starting to open.)

And, worst of all, why are people bragging on Facebook that they already have their shopping done and their Christmas cards addressed?

It’s not even Thanksgiving, people! It’s way too early to be decking the halls.

Can we blame this on millennials? Did the same generation that gave us Friendsgiving and gender reveal parties decide to throw out the calendar and celebrate Christmas whenever they please?

Or is it the fault of show-offy overachievers who want to get it all done early so they can relax and enjoy the holidays?

Maybe it’s people who love, love, love Christmas so much they want to spread it out as long as possible?

Whoever you are, please stop. It’s bad enough that we haven’t been able to walk into a store the past couple of months without bumping into shelves of holiday decorations.

Do we also have to put up with neighbors who string up Christmas lights in mid-November ... while we haven’t even put away October’s ghost decorations?

We need a few weeks of respite between Halloween and Thanksgiving. So please, can we all follow the unspoken rules?

1) You don’t put up the tree until after Thanksgiving.

2) You wait until Dec. 1 to place the holiday wreath on the front door.

3) You purposely put off buying at least one gift until Christmas week so you, too, can participate in the holiday feeding frenzy.

Obey those rules, and who knows? Maybe we’ll look the other way when you decorate your Thanksgiving table with poinsettia bouquets.

This story was originally published November 20, 2017 at 12:25 PM with the headline "Step away from the Christmas lights — we haven’t even finished Thanksgiving dinner yet."