Over the weekend, I spent a couple days with a college friend in her hometown of Fergus Falls.

I've stayed with her family several times over the years, including fall break our junior year in college when I had my first lesson on farming, a lesson which came in handy during writing about corn and soybean yields in Litchfield.

We did the normal visit activities. We posed for a photo by Ollie the Otter, watched the falls at Phelps Mill and walked through the town's relatively vibrant downtown looking at specialty shops like the Nordic Gallery. (If you're not familiar with Fergus Falls, there are two things you should know: There are a lot of Lutherans and a lot of Scandinavians.)

Several of the downtown shops were already prepped for Christmas. Christmas trees with tiny Scandinavian figurines were set up. Apple cider and Christmas cookies were served. Christmas cards were already 50 percent off. Even though the sun was shining, the stores had that cozy Christmas shopping atmosphere that encourages shoppers to open their wallets for Christmas purchases before basting the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.

The holiday season seems to come sooner every year. Before the ghosts and goblins are out for Halloween, many stores have already put up their Christmas displays. The toy catalogs are out. Television commercials are showing winter snowfall scenes - something not very welcome to my friend's farming family who just started its corn harvest thanks to a late spring and wet October.

November has never been my favorite time of the year. I wrote a poem for a college assignment about my distaste for the month. Yet, rushing to Christmas ignores the wonderful things November does have to offer. Its slow, calm pace before the holiday season. Its time to appreciate the harvest. Its hearty warm meals of pumpkin soup, fresh bread and hot apple cider. The anticipation of advent.

It's the time of year to take a deep breath, look around your home and just enjoy the blessing of relaxation.