Put down the decor:
Here we are again folks. November is officially upon us, which means that most of the U.S. population is moving on from their weekends of apple picking, family fun hay rides, bonfires, pumpkin carving, and are shifting their focus onto Christmas trees, holiday decorations, presents, and lets not forget about the holly jolly music played anywhere and everywhere on a continual loop. However, this doesn’t stop the extended enjoyment of snacking on Halloween candy, which was received only the day before on October 31st.
No one fully realizes the significance of the moment that their head hits that pillow on Halloween night. Their stomachs are full of sugar and their thoughts circulate around their overall satisfaction from their Halloween costume decision. They start to think about what costume they may attempt next year, if they can get away with eating candy for breakfast, and the appropriate amount of time to keep the pumpkins out for decoration. And before you know it, you wake up the next morning and BAM Christmas festivities are already in full swing. Christmas commercials on TV, Christmas decorations in stores (even though they were technically there before Halloween had even come and gone), Christmas music, Christmas trees, and the new cup design at Starbucks in honor of the holiday season. The world suddenly says, “Step aside Pumpkin Spice, there are new flavors in town that go by the names of Peppermint, Cinnamon, and Gingerbread.”
So, “What’s the big deal?” you may ask. Christmas is a time of cheer and joy, so why does it matter if we start the celebration prematurely? I get it. I understand the appeal of the jubilant season. And in no way would I want to appear as a Scrooge. I’ll admit right now that Christmas is one of my all time favorite parts of the year. However, is it possible that we have become so enthralled in the holiday excitement as a society, that we forget the journey along the way?
So here they are friends, 5 reasons why it’s important to set aside the Christmas spirit for one extra month and enjoy the here and now:
- I personally feel that it diminishes the magic of the Christmas season. By starting the celebration too soon, the excitement dies off quicker. We end up forcing the holiday cheer later on, which, at times, causes the season to feel as if it is dragging on.
- I don’t want to reduce the nostalgia and pure beauty of fall. The colorful leaves, cool air, comfy scarves and stylish boots, family fun activities, and of course, the delicious fall foods like apple cider, donuts, anything pumpkin, squash, kettle corn, just to name a few. I want to savor the smell, taste, and feel for as long as I can.
- I think it is time that we as a society corrected the unhealthy imbalance between holidays. It’s confusing to me that Christmas seems to hold so much more significance than any other holiday. Why is this the case? Thanksgiving is equally as important. For both holidays we are given days off of work and school, eat delicious food, and are expected to use the time in order to be with friends and family. So why should Christmas hold more importance? So much so, that sometimes we skip over the Thanksgiving holiday all together.
- I honestly do not feel that there is enough decent Christmas music to go around for two months. I think we can agree that the songs dedicated to Christmas are played just about everywhere during the holiday season: stores, malls, schools, pretty much in any type of establishment known to man. Although it can be fun and cheerful as well as contribute to the holiday season in a positive and uplifting way, I think that we have to admit as a society that sooner or later it gets old and simply annoying.
- Doesn’t it seem as if time moves quickly enough as it is. I feel that as we continue to get older, time always seems to go by faster and faster. Why try to speed up the process even more? As a senior in college, I desperately find myself needing it to slow down because I’ve changed my mind on growing up. Celebrating Christmas too early makes it seem like time is going by even quicker. I can’t handle it. I need to move slow and celebrate November, autumn, and Thanksgiving first. I would never tell you how to live your life, but doesn’t it sound nice to take in the beauty of fall with friends and family? All I can leave you with is the encouragement to seize the moments of the present and before you know it, Christmas will be here.
Get in the holiday spirit:
On the other hand, many people mistake celebrating Christmas early as skipping Thanksgiving. However, I am arguing that we celebrate all the holidays and just add a little Christmas cheer to Thanksgiving. Sure, technically Thanksgiving is an autumn holiday, but nothing can beat coming together with friends, family and loved ones to create special memories and traditions. Whether you celebrate for 2 months or 2 weeks the time spent with loved ones is time well spent. Why not start the holidays a little early if it means getting to spend more time with the important people in life?
To counter the reasons to push back the festivities of the season, here are 5 points to persuade you to deck the halls sooner rather than later:
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It’s the best time of the year. There’s holiday drinks, Christmas decor, and Christmas music. There is no other time during the year that all these good things in life are happening at once. The online shopping catalogs are always fun to look at when drinking your morning peppermint mocha from Starbucks. Not to mention the joyful music that streams through radio stations to our ears. The best music there is.
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It’s such a short time frame. The only downside of the holiday season is that it only lasts about a month. How do you expect to experience all the best things of the holidays in only a month. There’s so much to do and so little time. Before Halloween it’s taboo to listen to Christmas music let alone hang decorations in your room. So it makes sense that the second the clock strikes midnight on November 1st the celebration begins. You have to squeeze in as much as you can in the few weeks you have.
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Life’s better during the holidays. It gives people a chance to spread joy, laughter and cheer that is oftentimes forgotten about during the rest of the year. There is a genuine boost in morale as well as a boost in excitement and happiness. Should people be generous and helpful all year round? Absolutely but with the holidays and the chance to reflect on who you are and the things in life you have people often find themselves more willing to donate their time, money, and toys to people who are less fortunate and just trying to have an enjoyable holiday season
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THE DECORATIONS. I am in love with all things Christmas and since stores like Target, Walmart and the malls have out all the decorations it’s best to start early and admire the cute decorations. Plus a Christmas tree can add a lot of character to a room especially if the ornaments were made when you were in grade school. Plus who doesn’t love a good strand of Christmas lights to brighten a room or hanging stockings on the door of your dorm?
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The holidays bring people together. I can’t tell you how many Christmas movies my roommate and I have watched over the past few weeks. Although the only movies that seem to be out are Hallmark Christmas movies that all have essentially the same plot, the hours we’ve spent glued to the TV is unreal. Not only the movies but the overall feeling you get when someone says Christmas just makes a heart melt. Between the movies, baking, and overall excitement that comes with Christmas morning there is no reason to hold off celebrating.
So, where do YOU stand in the great debate?