You probably think that the greatest debate over the calendar is whether the week starts on a Monday or a Sunday. But arguably the greater question is when does the Holiday Season officially begin? And more importantly, when can I put up my decorations without being judged?
Growing up in the United States, this was always a huge question: when do you put up your tree? What about the Elf on the Shelf? What about Thanksgiving? More importantly, what happens to November? These questions are layered, and honestly, they’re more than subjective: they’re personal. I grew up in a house with a strong policy that dictated that Christmas can only come once Thanksgiving is over: no music, no tree, nothing. In recent years, I’ve adamantly rejected that policy, but that’s not because I don’t think there’s some truth to it.
Are we moving too fast?
There is something outwardly grand about fall. The leaves are changing, school starts up again, the world feels colorful as it resets itself. But we always seem to be in a rush; we’re always waiting for the next thing. Easter candy shows up in stores immediately after Valentine’s day, and Halloween decorations come out in August. If September is consumed with missing summer and figuring out a new school schedule, and October is taken up by witches, ghosts and Halloweekend plans, then why rush through November to December? Obviously the Holiday season is incredible, but so is fall. The leaves are finally falling and the air is growing crisp, but that’s exactly what November is about. So there’s easily an argument to be made: why can’t we just enjoy the month for what it is?
Especially when you consider the issue of Thanksgiving. While this is less of an issue in St. Andrews, there is still a big enough American population that the holiday of Thanksgiving cannot simply be skimmed over. Despite the fact that it’s not my personal favorite, I understand that a lot of people’s opinions differ from mine, and I think it’s fair enough to want your favorite holiday recognized. By devoting your November to Thanksgiving, you are inherently embracing more of a fall aesthetic than those advocating for snowmen and reindeer Christmas decorations, but on the contrary…
Turkey Still Tastes the Same with the Christmas Tree up
And that’s pretty much the whole point. The holiday season is adored for a reason- it’s magical. But as we get older it starts feeling like the month goes by quicker and quicker. It feels over too soon, so why not extend it a little bit? I’m not ever going to say what to do, but I will say that most of us go home for Winter Break, which means our time celebrating the Holidays in St. Andrews is already limited. It’s even worse when you realize you might be going away during revision week, or maybe you only actually have a week of exams and you go home early. It’s even a possibility you don’t have any exams at all. So why try to shorten it?
I’m not exactly advocating for snowmen and snowflakes and a ton of winter decorations, but don’t miss out on walking to class with “All I Want for Christmas is You” on your headphones because you’ve decided to hold out on yourself. If you follow the policy of not decorating until December first, then I think you run the possibility of selling yourself short of the Holidays in St. Andrews. Put up the tree, and have a decorating party with your friends before you have to cram for exams. Let yourself enjoy a holiday movie marathon with the Holiday lights on overhead. You only get four Holiday seasons in St. Andrews, so you have to make the most of them.
Fa la la la Fall
When I sat down at my hall’s “Christmas Dinner” last year, I thought, “Wow, if you squint it almost looks like Thanksgiving”. In front of me there was turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. I realized in that moment, every holiday is celebrated differently. Not just by individuals and families, but year to year. So if you can’t commit to a day where you make the switch from pumpkins to snowmen… then just don’t.
That’s exactly the point. It’s called the Holiday season because it incorporates all of the different holidays that happen in such a short span of the year. Those Holidays don’t have to be exclusive to December. It’s not the “magical” season because it’s cold and potentially snowing. It’s magical because there are lights everywhere. You go through stores looking for presents for the people you love so you can bring them joy. The season is dubbed the most wonderful time of year for a reason- so why shorten it? Why wait to sprinkle around the joy that comes from listening to music reserved for a particular time of year? Especially when we’ll be cramming for exams. I completely understand the worry of rushing through the year, but you can’t be missing out on November if you keep out your pumpkins while you put up your holiday decorations. There are no decoration police who are going to be mad at you for embracing both November and the Holiday season in their full glory.
P.S. The Edinburgh Christmas Market opens on November 14th.