It&8217;s hard to believe by the time you get this paper Wednesday morning that Montevallo will be gearing up for its annual Holiday parade Thursday night.

What&8217;s even harder to believe is that while shopping in a store in September, I heard something I think to be &8220;Joy to the World&8221; drumming through the loudspeakers.

We all know our favorite department stores have for weeks now had storefronts and aisles decorated in lights and strewn with shiny tinsel.

I know I am not the only one to complain about this &8220;problem,&8221; but it seems to me that Christmas is coming earlier and earlier each season, and I don&8217;t like it.

It&8217;s hard to fault stores for wanting to make a profit. Most businesses make a majority of their annual sales in November and December. We are the ones who get spend happy in October, even August.

But I still can&8217;t help but mourn for the loss of Christmas. Some of my favorite childhood memories are from the middle of December.

I remember church and school plays, caroling with friends, giving and exchanging gifts, my Great Aunt Ruth&8217;s delicious red velvet cake, I could go on and on.

It&8217;s sad now that I&8217;m older and Christmas just seems to be a time of hustle and bustle, a period to rack in credit card debt and fight over the newest X-Box and Tickle Me Elmo.