Halloween has come and passed. And while some of us have started our Christmas countdown calendars and entered full-on holiday season, others of us haven’t even begun to think of the approaching festivities. I’m here to tell you that we shouldn’t start the holiday season as soon as Halloween ends. Rather, I think it should start the day after Thanksgiving on Black Friday.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the holidays as much as the next person. Every year I look forward to seeing classic holiday movies such as Elf, Home Alone, and It’s a Wonderful Life during ABC Family’s 25 days of Christmas movie marathon. I also love indulging in the plethora of holiday cookies that my mom bakes every year as well as spending time with family and friends watching sports and enjoying the much-needed reprieve from the rigors of school.

That’s why I’m a believer in limiting the holiday season to roughly the month of December — including the few days after Thanksgiving in November and extending to Jan. 1.

When we extend the holiday season so that it starts two months before Christmas, we diminish the vitality of the holiday season. With two months of holiday cheer, every day becomes less special than it could be if the holiday season were limited to a month. We should let November be what it is — a month of preparing for finals, winter, and the holiday season.

With that said, there’s nothing wrong with listening to a little holiday music in November. But, I do think it’s going a bit too far to start any decorating or festivities before Halloween’s pumpkins have had time to decay. Halloween’s stash of candy ought to be able to tame your holiday passions until Turkey Day rolls around.