Photo courtesy of starbucks.com
The day after Halloween. It’s crisp out, with some stubborn leaves still clinging to trees – the dead ones swirling in the wind. Northwestern’s campus is still in the swing of fall. A stroll into Evanston tells a different story though. Starbucks has their seasonal winter cups out. CVS’s display is now full of Santa Claus and Christmas ornaments.
Christmas is 55 days away and the season has already begun.
Why does Christmas keep getting celebrated earlier and earlier? The main reason seems to be in the cash opportunity many corporations capitilize on.
“I think it begins so much sooner just because [stores] need to get that excitement for their sales”, Jane Castro, a Weinberg sophomore, commented. “I work in retail back home and I know that everything goes out so much earlier because it keeps it in the front of everybody’s minds…if you put it out so much earlier, they’ll buy things for a longer period.”
The holiday items in stores may pique people’s interests, but it seems as if everyone is just in the mood to start celebrating anyway. Gauri Rangrass, a Medill sophomore, agrees.
“Everyone says that it begins after Thanksgiving break but to be honest it starts after Halloween,” Rangrass said. “Like that’s when people start celebrating, that’s when people start buying cute Christmas clothes.”
Goblins are out; elves are in. But what about turkeys? With all this excitement building in early November, it seems like Thanksgiving gets kicked under the Christmas tree. Even Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving that most call the “official” start of the holiday season, has grown even bigger than turkey day itself. This might be due to the growing popularity of celebrating “Commerical Christmas”, which is Christmas without the religion connotation. It’s all about Santa Claus, gifts and decorations.
Even Northwestern has gotten in on the holiday fun already, with NU Holiday sweaters being sold in local stores. Perhaps the reason Northwestern students start celebrating so early is because the quarter ends pretty early. There are less than two weeks after Thanksgiving break to decorate and celebrate with friends at school because classes officially end December 12th. Students may be trying to maximize the cheer and spirit by celebrating earlier.
Still, some people remain traditional and say the season doesn’t truly begin until after Thanksgiving. One person said that they don’t feel it until ABC Family starts their 25 Days of Christmas programming. (Psst…schedule below! Get pumped!)
Photo courtesy of abcfamily.com
Regardless of when you celebrate, the spirit of the holidays is eternal. SESP sophomore Maggie Graham celebrates all year by listening to her Christmas pandora station, just because she loves the music. She said that “in [her] heart, Christmas is always.”
Whenever or whatever you celebrate, may it be a joyous season for you.