My fondest memories are generally the day after Thanksgiving. I get the total decorating Christmas itch.

McPhee links nostalgia not to Thanksgiving Day itself but to the liminal moment immediately after it—when the holiday pivots from gratitude and family meals to the anticipatory excitement of Christmas. The “day after” suggests a ritualized transition: leftovers, a slower pace, and the first permission to begin seasonal decorating. Her phrase “total decorating Christmas itch” frames the impulse as both irresistible and joyful, emphasizing how traditions can be driven by sensory cues and habit as much as by religious or cultural meaning. The quote captures a common contemporary rhythm in American holiday life, where decorating becomes an emotional reset and a way to extend celebration into the winter season.