Thanksgiving, set by Congress as the fourth Thursday in November, this year comes as early as it possibly can. And because it stands as the unofficial kickoff to the year-end holidays, that means we're going to have an extra-long holiday season.

Is this something to rejoice about? Or dread? It depends on whether you think your cup of eggnog is half-full or half-empty.

Let's take a look at both sides of the equation.

Pro: There's an extra week for listening to your favorite holiday music.

Con: That's an extra week of listening to Kenny G.

Pro: More time for kids to bask in the gleeful anticipation of all the gifts they're about to receive.

Con: More time for kids to drive parents nuts with their sugar-fueled impatience.

Pro: We'll have more opportunity to lose the extra weight we gained at Thanksgiving before the next round of excessive eating in December.

Con: Let's be serious -- no one is losing any weight during this heavy-noshing period.

Pro: We get extra time to search for just the right gift for that special someone.

Con: We'll just have more time to fret over not being able to find the right gift for that special someone.

Pro: There are more chances for family get-togethers with relatives we usually see only once a year.

Con: It will be more challenging to come up with more excuses for ducking these distant relatives.

Pro: There's an extra week for procrastinators to leave everything to the last minute.

Con: There's an extra week for procrastinators to leave everything to the last minute.