As the clock struck midnight on Halloween, the winter holiday season immediately descended upon us, despite the protestations of many of my friends at least.

First, there was the Christmas carols playing seemingly everywhere. Starbucks started using its holiday red cups and offering egg nog lattes. And then there was the 30 days of Thankfulness posts on Facebook. At least that was focused on Thanksgiving.

Don’t get me wrong, I love this time of year, but sometimes I feel like we’ll start celebrating this holiday season right around the first day of school if we aren’t careful. Just look at the insanity of retailers opening up on Thanksgiving Day. That has not just happened. That’s crept up over the past few years as Black Friday sales started earlier and earlier. That 6 a.m. sale moved to 4 a.m. then midnight and then 8 p.m. after your post-turkey extravaganza nap.

My husband works for Walgreens, which for as long as he has been part of the company, has always been open every day of the year including Thanksgiving and Christmas. My father-in-law was a firefighter for decades, retiring in 2010, and often had to work holidays, too. So, it’s not as if this is something my family has not dealt with and adjusted to over the years, however, those were exceptions to the rule. Now the rule is shifting.

Thankfully, though, my husband only has to work until noon on Thanksgiving Day. That still leaves plenty of time to go to his parents house, finish the cooking, eat, enjoy time with the family and watch football. Plus I’ll have a good five hours in the morning before he gets home to get in a run on the treadmill and do some reading as well as spend precious time with my daughter, who just turned 4 early last week.

Even with the holiday season creeping into our lives sooner every year, I am thankful for more than just the fact my husband only has to work a short day on the holiday this year. I am thankful for my health, for a job, for my husband and daughter, for every single morning I wake up because every day is beautiful even if it’s pouring rain and 43 degrees. Life is wonderful and I am thankful for it.

I am also thankful for all of the amazing people in the cities we cover. I think we should all be thankful for the amazing work done by amazing people like Meg Holland at the Storehouse, Lila Henderson and the staff as well as volunteers at the Maple Valley Food Bank, Tina McDonough and her vigilance in raising money for a cure for breast cancer, Laura Bingle and her efforts to raise money for Gilda’s Club as well as her tireless support of Valley Girls & Guys, McDonough’s team that walks the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s 3 Day For the Cure every September and I am thankful for Dace Anderson and Arielle Young, who run Dace’s Rock ‘n’ More, providing music lessons to anyone who wants them regardless of their ability to pay — there is something vastly empowering in the act of learning music.

I am constantly amazed by Vine Maple Place and what they do as well as the giving spirit of business owners such as Norm and Tammy Mack, who own Grocery Outlet in Maple Valley, as well as Greg and Jessi Powell, who own Grocery Outlet in Kent. Then there is all the incredible things the Rotary clubs of Covington and Maple Valley do for the community. Covington Rotary feeds elementary age children every week during the school year while Maple Valley Rotary is gearing up for its annual Shop with a Cop event which will provided Christmas gifts for hundreds of kids in need this year.

A week ago Katherine Smith talked about all the amazing projects local students do to help the community and I am also constantly impressed by the youth of our communities. Speaking of children, I am also thankful the community of the Tahoma School District which extends beyond limits of the city of Maple Valley, approved the construction bond measure because it will enable our community to grow stronger and to nurture the service-oriented spirit in future generations.

There are so many reasons to be thankful this year. And even as the holiday season seems to creep up on us sooner each year, I hope that the warmth, the joy, the gratitude and the spirit of giving follows closely but doesn’t leave so soon after the turkey is consumed, the carols fade away and the cold, dark winter drives us all to the Internet in search of vacations to tropical climates come mid-winter break.

My life is blessed and I hope many of you share the same sentiments. This Thanksgiving I hope the sales and early shopping and stress of the lead up to Christmas don’t take over so that the things you are thankful for this week don’t get skewed out of perspective. Happy Thanksgiving, dear readers, enjoy the long weekend and the blessings of life.