Last week, as I attempted to gather groceries at Walmart, a whirlwind of Thanksgiving wishes smacked me right in the face.

Surely, I thought, they’ve gotten their displays confused. It’s not even mid-September yet; let me celebrate Halloween first, and let’s keep the turkeys at a minimum.

But no — it seems we’re packing up Halloween before it even starts. What will be next? Christmas trees and twinkling light displays on Nov. 1?

What happened to the notion of celebrating holidays at their respective seasonally appropriate times?

By the public’s standards, it is now a cardinal sin to celebrate Halloween season only in the month of October, to honor Thanksgiving throughout the month of November and to relegate Christmas to the month of December (or longer if you’re Catholic and celebrate through Epiphany).

It seems as though, as we’re knocking on the door of two years of COVID-19, society is more desperate than ever to find a little joy in everyday life. No one can be faulted for wanting to replicate holiday cheer year-round or wanting to harness the magic of childhood for as long as possible, but some of y’all are reaching the point of excess.

We don’t need a “Thanksgiving tree.” You can be just as cheerful year-round without donning snowflakes before the Great Pumpkin’s made his grand arrival. You don’t need a holiday as an excuse to gather with your family. All those things end up doing is rushing us through the holidays, instead of stopping to enjoy them during the appropriate times.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m just as guilty of indulging in pumpkin spice lattes as the next girl. I love a good cozy sweater and a pair of fuzzy socks.

Pushing the envelope is one thing, but some people are absolutely choking the life out of the envelope, calling its family and demanding a ransom.

As for me and my house, we will honor our holidays as the calendar dictates and not rush into what the season brings. Keep your cinnamon brooms and cornucopias to yourselves for a little while longer, I’m begging you.