Lorraine Ali: Christmas came early thanks to the Dems' midterm sweeps. The tree is going up

Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times on Nov 13, 2026

Published in Op Eds

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Is it too early to put up the Christmas tree?

I get it. We’re barely into November. You haven’t put away the Halloween décor yet, even though you finished eating all the leftover candy (even those off-brand Whoppers) days ago.

But for many of us, the most wonderful time of the year arrived early, on Nov. 3, with the midterm election rebuke of corruption, unnecessary wars, cruelty, racism, misogyny, taxpayer-funded vanity projects, and the soaring cost of just about everything.

Democrats flipped the House, the Senate, governorships and state houses in areas that were once as red as the stiff holiday dress mom forced you to wear to the school pageant.

And I did wear that dress, even though I’m an Ali. Muslims can be just as secular as any other faith. My dad, an Iraqi Shiite, bought a live tree every year. My mom, an Anglo Cali girl who was raised Protestant, taught him — and her kids — how to string the lights, space out the ornaments and delicately hang the tinsel rather than throw it on in clumps (chucking it was way more fun, of course).

Christmas equaled happiness. It still does.

I’m the weirdo who listens to Christmas music year-round, particularly when times get tough. Suffice to say that over the last decade, there’s been a lot of yuletide listening in July, or May, or whenever it felt like the implosion of democracy and the rise of something much darker was too much to handle without the buoyant cheer of Gene Autry’s “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” or the soothing calm of Burl Ives “Silent Night.”

They got me through a lot: The Muslim ban. Brett Kavanaugh’s SCOTUS hearing. The abortion ban. Gutting the Voting Rights Act. January 6th. Gaza. DOGE. Bombing a school in Iran. ICE sweeps, deportations and killings. The stupid ballroom. The stupid Melania documentary.

Vince Guaraldi’s “Skating” didn’t do much to stop the Big Lie or expose the contents of the Epstein Files, but it did offer a small dose of joy when there was little to be found.

There are others out there like me, who’ve let it slip that they were listening to the London Philharmonic’s “Carol of the Bells” deep into summer because they needed to. It was paramount to their mental health.

The irony is that over the years, angry readers and trolls have accused me of wanting to “cancel Christmas” because my writing, or mere existence, challenged their idea of what American faith is, or should be. As if there was only one, and everyone practiced it.

If only I’d sent them back a musical Christmas card. The tune would be Booker T. & the M.G.’s jaunty version of “Jingle Bells.” The message: “Peace on earth, good will toward men, women, and non-binary.”

Why do the best comebacks always arrive after the fact?

Before anyone takes offense, I’m wholly aware there is a much deeper meaning behind the holiday, and I respect that. My warm and fuzzy feelings for the C9 incandescent bulb and my Mr. Christmas magnetized skating rink are just that, feelings. They come in handy when a safe harbor is needed.

For example: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announces that the government plans to livestream an execution. Seek refuge in Johnny Mathis’ “Calypso Noel.”

Let’s get back to the tree.

Our 7.5-foot Vickerman White Spruce with 750 multicolored LED bulbs with an easy to assemble, snap-in trunk has been up the day after Thanksgiving every year since 2016, when President Trump won his first term, and my first assignment as a critic was to cover his inauguration. Like “Mame,” I just needed a little Christmas! Right that very minute!

To be fair, he had yet to prove himself. But there were clues to how bad things might get should he win: He initially declined to disavow an endorsement from former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. He boasted on a hot mic about sexually assaulting women. He refused to publicly release his tax returns, as if there was something to hide.

With each passing year of MAGA toxicity, I kept the tree up a little longer and made Valentine’s Day a reasonable cut-off date.

My reasons are different for wanting to put the tree up now, well before Thanksgiving, let alone Christmas. It’s not about bringing me joy, but about reflecting how good it feels now that the country stands a chance of repairing the damage from a decade of Trumpism. MAGA is falling. Hegseth is headed toward impeachment. Tesla has ended production of the Cybertruck.

Cue the music. Plug in the tree. It’s never too early to celebrate.