It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.and it’s not even Thanksgiving yet.

Yes, despite America’s struggling economy, the push to begin Christmas shopping and other things appears to have come even earlier this year.

Already, holiday music plays in major department stores and grocery stores, with extravagant displays that went up immediately after Halloween.

As usual, Americans frontload everything and glamorize it so that when the time actually comes, everyone is generally sick of it.

By the time the holidays come, we will all be so tired that we will pull out our last bit of strength to make dinner, fight traffic and make sure the tiny details are perfect.

Now, with Black Friday rolling around, we can expect to see countless people jammed in shopping malls just dying to get their hands on an overly expensive gift for someone; signaling the beginning of the early start and quick crash tradition we so often see around the holidays.

Why does it never end?

Because people are suckers-myself included.

Truth be told, I love the madness that comes with the holidays.

I enjoy waking up early on random weekends for about a month and a half to go out there and search for everyone’s perfect gift.

It seems strange to feel that way around this time of year, especially considering I’m not one for waking up early or listening to the alarm clock, but for some inexplicable reason, it feels right.

It’s not about using material items to satisfy the aesthetic desires of others or to make myself feel better about my own personality, and it should not be that way for anyone else.

It is about taking time out of our stress-filled lives to make room for others.

It is about showing your loved ones how you really feel, even if you don’t always get a chance to see them or get a chance to show them.

Despite the fact that we are indeed being taken advantage of by manufacturers around this time of year, we should not take this as an opportunity to gripe or take on a negative attitude.

Instead, we should overlook all the little annoyances that come with the hassle of waiting in line and the near-coercion to start buying before the previous holidays are over.

Also, keep in mind that the holidays are meant to be blissful and that the stress surrounding them is for the sake of others.

As for me, I can’t help but smile at the sudden holiday tunes I hear at the mall even if it is the first week of November.

I do shake my head at some of the hype at times, but I cannot help but continuing my pace with a spring in my step knowing the holidays are coming.

Sure, it makes people call me a hippie when I go around preaching my enthusiasm and explaining that I believe the holidays are all about love and peace.

Even through the chaos and occasional twinge of anger with shopping and preparing, everything seems worth it in the end.