We’ve all heard the classic Charlie Brown Christmas song — “Christmas time is here.” Well, Christmas time is here, and with it comes Christmas decorations. Although some people have had their decorations up for a while, I refuse to acknowledge their presence until the day the Christmas season can officially be welcomed — the day after Thanksgiving.

Before I further delve into this issue, I’d like to establish my neutrality — at least for the time being — in the religious debate surrounding Christmas.

Our society has gotten itself worked up about the religious implications of the holiday season. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa — whatever you celebrate, I’m all for it.

For the purposes of this column, I’m discussing Christmas in the most secular, commercial sense in which it can be respectfully considered. Let’s save the religious debate for another time.

Christmas decorations, as trivial as they may seem, demand a considerable amount of attention in the winter months.

Wherever we go — the mall, the grocery store, a drive around a neighborhood or down the highway — we’re sure to be greeted by some manifestation of flashy Christmas cheer.

Now, it seems as if the Christmas displays are coming out obnoxiously early, overtaking the Thanksgiving season as they shove their way onto store shelves immediately following Halloween.

We can’t begin to ignore them, even if we want to. The Christmas spirit is undeniable, even to the grinchiest of Grinches.

I have taken a very personal interest in Christmas displays throughout the past few years. Have you ever fancied yourself an officer of the fashion police? Well, like that, I have created my own position as a critic of Christmas decorations.

Four years ago, my best friend and I started an annual tradition. One wintry night, we were driving around trying to think of something to do. We decided to explore our town and a nearby town, in search of houses lit up and decorated for Christmas.

The next year, we reserved a special night for it, seeking out favorites from the previous year and not bothering with the ones that had disappointed. Each year we take it a little more seriously, and this year it will have even more meaning as it commemorates the first year we’ve both been away at college.

On our Christmas light drives, we have no shortage of commentary for the displays we view.

I’d like to think that with each year of experience, we become a little more qualified to criticize — or praise — the Christmas displays.

During last year’s drive, we started to wonder how acceptable it would be for us to leave notes for the exceptional displays — both good and bad.

We opted not to then, but it hasn’t been ruled out for future drives.

That wasn’t the first time I had considered the idea. Every Thanksgiving break, my mom, my aunt, my cousin and I go shopping, and on the drive home, we have a lot to say about the Christmas decorations that have magically sprung up around us.

We’ve considered a ribbon system. Blue ribbons for the good displays, and red ribbons with notes attached detailing what went wrong in the less aesthetically pleasing attempts.

We wouldn’t be mean-spirited. Only constructive criticism, even if the most constructive criticism we can give is “Step 1: Take it all down. Step 2: Hire a professional. “Just think of how much nicer your neighborhood would look if people had a little help and encouragement from Christmas decoration critics.

“Nice effort, but it’s a bit cluttered. Consider eliminating a few of those plastic carolers. Once they’ve been outside too long, the plastic starts to look dirty, anyway.”

“You had so many good thoughts, but they just don’t seem to go together. You might choose between the nativity and the reindeer, or at least don’t put them right next to each other.”

“Wonderful use of icicle lights! They accent your house wonderfully, and the matching lights on the bushes coordinate quite nicely.”

“We appreciate your Christmas spirit, but let’s try toning it down. If you don’t live in the country where it’s hard to see decorations from the road, your yard does not need a giant inflatable polar bear.”

“Excellent effort with the lights on those scrawny little trees! You did a fantastic job of making use of what you have.”

“If you’re going to haphazardly toss the lights on the tree, maybe it’s best you leave it alone. It looks as if you just threw them and hoped they landed. Your time might be better spent baking some cookies.”

“Sometimes simplicity is just as merry as extravagance. The few accents you used say “Merry Christmas” without turning your yard into a cluttered mess! Great job.”

“We’re all for diversity and inclusiveness, but those things have a time and place. That time and place is not when you’re stringing the Christmas lights on your house, bushes, trees, etc. It’s lovely that you want to illuminate your yard, but you might try sticking to a specific color scheme.”

“We’re so happy that you love Christmas, but it wouldn’t be special if we had it all year. Decorations should go up right after Thanksgiving, and be taken down immediately following New Year’s Day.

How can we miss your decorations if they don’t go away for a little while?”