The World According to Mitch

It is that time of year again.

The debate over when to put up Christmas decorations has begun.  The minute Halloween is over, people rush to put them up.  Within a few short days, we go from Orange and Black with spooky melodies to Green and Red with cheerful melodies.  I hate it.

I have in the past been accused of being anti-Christmas.  I am not.  While it is not my holiday, I respect everyone’s right to celebrate their holidays however they see fit.  After all, I would not expect anyone to criticize how I celebrate my holidays.  I will buy my children Christmas presents, although I will also buy them Hanukkah presents.

What does bother me is this: On November 11th we honour Remembrance Day.  It is the one day of the year put aside for civilians to do what veterans do every day of our lives: remember the fallen.  It is to remember our brothers who did not make it.  It is a day for us to share our stories with them… these stories that to them sound like the unlikely plots of a movie, but which for us was once the reality.

Is it really so much to ask that, when retelling our memories to our children and others, we not have Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and other holiday jingles detract from the solemnity of our stories?

All gave some.  Some gave all.  We are not asking you to give anything except to wait twelve more days before putting up your tinsel, holly, and mistletoe.  We ask only that you maintain the solemnity of one single day and yes… that means waiting until November 12th to put up your decorations.

No Bah Humbug, just a passionate plea from someone who remembers every day of his life.