I don't know about you, but for me, October means trick or treat, costumes and candy in short: Halloween. So I was very surprised when I was driving down Alcosta Blvd. in San Ramon one night in early October and saw a house fully decorated with Christmas lights.

I'm not exaggerating. It was dressed up to the hilt. I did a double take!

Now don't get me wrong. I LOVE the holiday season -- the twinkly lights, Santa and his reindeer, the Christmas trees, the Hanukkah Menorah, and all the trappings. I love it from the day after Thanksgiving until the day after New Year's. That's more than a month and that's enough in my book.

Why do we need to jump from Halloween decorations directly to Christmas decorations and overlook Thanksgiving. Let's put out pilgrims and pumpkins, turkeys and cranberries to show our American spirit. Thanksgiving is a wonderful tradition and should be the focus of November.

In additional to the gathering of family and friends for a huge meal, we can plan a second day of fun with Black Friday, the biggest shopping day in the year. But to get the super bargains you have to get up at the crack of dawn to take advantage of it. After you recover from the challenges of Black Friday, grab a bite, take a nap and relax before you go to the tree lighting in downtown Danville. Enjoy the Spirit of Danville where the town closes its streets to traffic, the giant oak is lit, and people meander while watching the entertainment and sipping hot chocolate. It is one of my favorite family activities.

The Saturday and Sunday of the Thanksgiving weekend is a perfect time for putting up holiday decorations. Put in some extra time at the gym because the holiday parties will begin soon and get your shopping done early. Try to keep December from getting too stressful. While most of the celebrations are in the latter part of the month, January does the opposite and starts with a bang. New Year's eve is a night for fancy parties, champagne toasts and lots of good cheer. When you are recovering the next day, in between football games, write some resolutions, one of which should be:

"I won't decorate for Christmas until I celebrate Thanksgiving."

HAPPY HOLIDAYS