‘Twas the month after Christmas
And all through the streets,
The children were sleeping
Their holiday, complete.
I lay down to rest
Gently shuttered my eyes
Expecting black to encase me,
Oh my, a surprise!
The decorations still up
My neighbors, my friends!
Take down those lights!
Does Christmas not end?

Every year the anticipation of the holiday season seems to come earlier, mostly limited to stores hungry to incite retail madness in potential customers. Last August in our local Wal-Mart, for instance, red and green ornaments hung alongside Freddy Krueger gloves and Jason masks.

This year, therefore, signals the beginning of a revolution. With only 320 days until Christmas, a band of Yuletide warriors have joined together to create the Roswell Tour of Yearlong Holiday Homes.

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Abner T. Humdinger, self-anointed Emperor of the Tour. Periodically shedding tears, he explained, “I usually put my Christmas decorations up in May, but this year … this year, I thought, Why wait?”

An abbreviated excursion to catch the highlights began on West Hembree Crossing, a neighborhood heretofore remarkable for being completely unremarkable. Cookie-cutter ranch houses of the ’70s era with nice-sized yards, in the $200K range, line the streets, save for one unexpected, glorious rebel at 725. Who needs a calendar when the spirit is alive?

We then journeyed to Liberty Square off Warsaw Road. Though the home values are among the lowest in the city and every street is named Worthington Hills, these are merely tricks to throw off the wayward visitor. Why, on Worthington Hills Manor alone, a road that cunningly lacks both hills and manors, two houses already were bedecked with complete Christmas decorations. On Worthington Hills Drive, another. On Singing Hills Drive, two. All in all, I counted a full six or seven residences (we got lost) that are busily getting ready for the holiday. What these people may lack in means, they make up for in heart.

Where do Rudolph and friends spend the winter? Right here in Roswell on quaint Tyson Circle off Old Alabama, of course. There they are, all white and wiry, grazing in splendor on a lawn. Not to be outdone, a few houses down, one can gaze at the glory of a front yard Douglas fir, trimmed to perfection with brightly colored ornaments.

Saving the best for last, the tour wound down on Nesbit Entry Drive off Scott Road. We rode into the cul-de-sac at the edge of the neighborhood and were treated to the unparalleled beauty of a fully lit, rainbow-bulbed, 15-feet tall Christmas tree that stands, defiant, and dares you to report to the HOA.

Touring these homes where values range from $125,000 to $310,000, I learned an important lesson. The spirit of Christmas is not bound by trivial concerns like money or social responsibility or good taste. Christmas is a Feeling and I salute my fellow Roswellians who spread that inherent joy as they wrap the mailbox in red garland and inflate that giant snowman, no matter what the month.

Where do you live? Tell davisrayner@live.com what’s going on in your neck of the woods.