As soon as November 1st hit, I started receiving snapchats of friends blasting Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas and Facebook notifications that I’d been tagged in the famous “SANTA’S COMING!” GIF from the movie Elf. And while this was fun, it dawned on me that Halloween just ended and both Hanukkah (the first day being December 24th) and Christmas are still about two months away.
I’m not a scrooge or anything; I love the holiday season as much as the next person. I do think that there is a time and a place for everything, and as far as I know, November is not the time meant for Christmas and Hanukkah. Plus, November is my favorite month of the year, so why would I fast-forward through that? If you’re having trouble following me and simply want to dive right into the holiday season, here's why you might want to take a step back:
The sooner you start thinking about the holidays, the sooner you’ll want to start buying gifts for everyone and their mother. Basically, this translates to: bye forever, money. If your money is already going towards gifts that you’re hiding under your bed, then say goodbye to Starbucks specialty drinks like gingerbread latte and peppermint hot chocolate.
If you’re blasting holiday music and watching every holiday movie known to man, you will probably stumble upon the harsh reality that in about three or four weeks (which is stretching it for some people) you’re going to be sick and tired of them. You’ll be listening to the same peppy songs over and over and watching movies that, in the end, have the same plot. There’s nothing worse than being annoyed with everything surrounding you in December, when it’s the prime of the holiday season.
Let us not forget my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. Pretty much the only days of the year when it’s acceptable to stuff pounds of food into your mouth, sit like a blob on your couch watching football and then repeat step one but with dessert instead. On a more serious note, Thanksgiving is also a time of reflection. It’s when we can look around at everything we have and feel grateful for it… that is until Black Friday and then we become blood-thirsty savages who demand we own everything in sight.
How am I supposed to be basking in the holiday season when it’s still 60 degrees where I am? If you’re not in the south, then the temperature is probably in the 50’s or 60’s right now for you. When I think of the holidays, I think of light snow falling, hats, scarfs and a winter coat. If I walked to class wearing that attire right now, I’d become a puddle of sweat halfway there.
For college students, our favorite part of the holiday season is going home, because we finally get to see our friends and family. Before we can do that, we are seemingly forget we have get past the monstrous finals week. And before finals week, we have hours upon hours of stu(dying). So for me, I have to keep my eyes on the prize: finishing this semester in one piece.
