When does it begin to look a lot like Christmas?
Dec. 5, Pennsylvanians say, no matter when store decorations start to go up
Sometime between the abomination of Santas at Halloween and the full swing of Advent is the day it begins to look — or, more precisely, to feel — like Christmas.
Now, thanks to one of the many companies that investigate this sort of thing, we know what that day is in every state in the union, based on survey responses from 3,000 people.
In Pennsylvania, it’s Dec. 5, according to FamilyDestinationsGuide.com. That happens to be a Monday this year, which isn’t a day anyone associates with cheer and merriment, but there isn’t much to be done about that.
It’s tempting to say cold weather has something to do with the timing of Christmas sentiment, but New Mexicans feel Christmassy earlier than anyone — Dec. 1 — and no one is building snowmen in New Mexico.
South Dakotans, by contrast, who know a thing or two about the cold, don’t get in the spirit until Dec. 12. That’s the latest date on the list, a full eight days after North Dakotans. Alaskans and Hawaiians feel it a day earlier than Pennsylvanians, on Dec. 4, Alabamians on the 6th, Idahoans on the 3rd.
In The Morning Call’s own informal social media poll, the first Christmassy day of the year was reckoned to be Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, when shopping turns from errand to stampede.
It was, admittedly, a smaller sample size — 68 votes — but Dec. 5 ranked a distant fourth. Dec. 1 was second, Dec. 10 was third.
For people who still consider Christmas a holiday in the literal sense of the word — holy day — as opposed to the finish line of that mad dash through malls and online marketplaces, it begins to feel like Christmas on the first Sunday of Advent, the four-week liturgical season during which Christians prepare for the coming of Christ.
Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, so it can start as early as Nov. 27 — as it did this year — and as late as Dec. 3.
That means Pennsylvania’s Christians, at least,
and Democrat Joe Ciresi of Montgomery County — among others — want to increase the income thresholds for the Property Tax Rent Rebate Program, which are $35,000 for homeowners and $15,000 for renters. Rader wants to increase those limits to $45,000 and $20,000, respectively, and Ciresi advocates for pushing them to $50,000 and $25,000.
Hospital closures: Democratic Reps. Eddie Pashinski of Luzerne County and Jennifer O’Mara of Delaware County put in a proposal that includes doubling the notice a hospital system must give to state and local agencies of plans to close. It would go from 90 to 180 days.
COVID vaccine firings: Crawford County Republican Rep. Brad Roae filed a memo that proposes to reinstate — with back pay — any state employee who was fired for not getting vaccinated for COVID-19. The proposal also would reinstate their seniority, job titles and pay grades.
School solar energy: Philadelphia Democratic Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler filed a memo that calls for a Pennsylvania Solar for Schools Grant Program to fund assessments of potential solar energy use at public schools and universities.
Concealed carry: Republican Rep. Aaron Bernstine of Lawrence County wants to get rid of the system that requires permits for citizens who want to carry firearms in concealed fashion.
Struggling veterans: Montgomery County Democratic Rep. Nancy Guenst said in a memo that since 2000, more than 450,000 veterans have been diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury. Guenst wants to provide $500,000 for diagnostic technology to carry out high-definition scans that could help with treatment, and another $500,000 to pay for other, related costs.
Mental health: The General Assembly set up a 24-person commission to provide recommendations on how to appropriate $100 million in one-time COVID relief for adult mental health needs. Schlossberg, a member of the commission, proposes that the state spend $37 million on work force development, $23.5 million on improving criminal justice and public safety systems, and $39 million on expanding access and service delivery.
Many of the ideas may not get very far until the thorny question of majority control of the 203-seat House is resolved. House rules give the majority party many powers, including the ability to control the flow of legislation.
The Nov. 8 election produced victories for Democrats for 102 seats, and 101 victories for Republicans.
But one of the Democrats, Anthony DeLuca of Allegheny County, died before the election. Two others — Reps. Austin Davis and Summer Lee, both of Allegheny County — were elected to other, non-House jobs.
That means that after Davis and Lee resign and while DeLuca’s seat remains unfilled, Republicans will have 101 active members to 99 for Democrats.
On Thursday, Philadelphia Democratic Rep. Joanna McClinton, who already was named Democratic leader by her caucus, told an online gathering of reporters that Democrats held a majority. And, she said, as the chamber’s presiding officer she was also acting speaker of the House.
She said the majority party is determined “based on the number of elections won” and on Jan. 3 Democrats “will embrace the challenge of having a very modest majority.”
Soon afterward, Republican Rep. Bryan Cutler of Lancaster County, previously named leader of his caucus, said at a news conference in the Capitol that DeLuca’s death created an acknowledged vacancy. Cutler said, “The current membership is 101 to 101.”
He added, “The fact that there is a tie at 101 to 101 means that there is in fact no majority. That also means that there is in fact, no majority leader. There is a Democrat leader and a Republican leader.”
Republicans won a majority in the state Senate, and Democratic Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro is scheduled to be sworn in Jan. 17.