I think that everyone who celebrates can agree that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year by far.
All of a sudden lights start appearing on trees and around streetlamp and the air seems to smell like peppermint. But the traditional scene of Christmas preparation, baking cookies in a warm kitchen after playing in the snow while drinking hot chocolate, cannot be complete without some quality holiday tuneage playing in the background. Christmas simply wouldn't be Christmas without the music.
However, it has begun to become acceptable to start playing Christmas music only after Thanksgiving has passed. Some people even argue that December first is the official start of "Christmas season."
This common argument has one fatal flaw: Christmas exemplifies things that we should be paying attention to all year round. Why can we only be festive and cheery, kind and charitable, and close to our friends and families for only one a month a year?
Personally, I think that the "Christmas feeling" could do us some good in October, or April or even July.
If our holiday self is our best self, the one who loves the most, gives the most, appreciates the most, and is the most joyful, then why aren't we encouraging people to keep that sentiment around for as long as possible? Why do we deny ourselves a more generally cheery existence?
Some may argue that only playing Christmas music for a short time makes it "special," but aren't all of the truly special things in our lives the ones that are permanent?
For example, my dog is very special to me, but I would never be able to imagine only seeing my dog one month per year! Seeing him less wouldn't make him any more special to me, I would just miss him when he isn't there! The same is true of Christmas music. The special things are permanent, like lifelong friendships, close relationships with family, a strong sense of self, and of course, dogs.
So to all of the Christmas-music-shamers out there, you know that you secretly want to be jamming out to Mariah Carey right now as much as the rest of us. Come join the fun, and have a "Holly, Jolly Christmas" all year long.