Surely we've stopped ourselves in a grocery or department store aisle countless times in late autumn, recognizing the familiar sounds of Christmas music broadcast over the speaker system. Sometimes we don't even notice because we're too wrapped up in our busy lives, shushing the bickering children or scanning the aisle for a great bargain. However, it's been my experience that when it's quiet, you can't help but notice. As a college student, I consider myself in a bubble. Not that that's a good thing, because really, I should know more about what's going on in the world. Which is why I hadn't been privy to Christmas music this season until I came home for Thanksgiving break last Friday.

I work at an outlet center selling baby clothes, and when I stopped in to check with them about my schedule, I heard the music. And they informed me, to my disbelief, that the CD they're required to play (as decided by the company's corporate office) has been subliminally sneaking in a Christmas song every other song or so since early October. Wasn't there an unspoken rule just a few years back that Christmas music comes on the radio on Black Friday? Or did I miss the memo that anytime after September is fair game? Don't get me wrong--I'm fully engulfed in the Christmas spirit now and just made a Pandora station that's all Christmas music, all the time. Yet are we forgetting that fall is enjoyable for other reasons, other holidays? There's lots to love about Halloween and Thanksgiving, both of which revolve around one of America's favorite commodities: food.

On one final note, I will admit to putting Christmas fleece pajamas out for sale in August at work before I left for school. It should have occurred to me then that this whole Christmas shopping thing has been stretched out just as far as it possibly can be.