We’ve all been in a store that sets up its Christmas lights and decorations the day after Halloween. The sight is usually followed by a disgruntled sigh, the adamant annoyance with everyone getting into the holiday spirit too early. We’ve all heard it. The Internet is chock-full of memes about it.
I get it. There are multiple holidays in the last few months of the year and they all deserve fair attention; however, sometimes it seems like stores are just trying to make the most money.
But really, does it matter? It is really so terrible if someone wants to put up the Christmas tree before Thanksgiving and blast Christmas music when it’s still 50 degrees outside? Christmas is a time of joy and feeling all warm inside even though it’s snowing. It’s about nostalgic Christmas movies, drinking hot cocoa, and decorating the tree. Personally, I love the Christmas spirit because everyone listens to Nat King Cole and Wham on the radio. And is there ever a wrong time to listen to Michael Buble?
As the song goes, it really is the most wonderful time of the year. It’s a time of excitement and people are inspired to give back. So why should we cut this time short? So what if we have our Christmas tree up during Thanksgiving dinner? I consider the "holiday season" the last few months of the year. These months are crammed with holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate in December), and New Year’s Eve. It’s a time of constant get-togethers and food preparation. I see nothing wrong with grouping these holidays together into a massive super season of feel-good holiday joy.
One may argue that getting in the holiday spirit too early makes Christmas less special. To this, I kindly disagree. If you can listen to Christmas music from October to January, I say go right ahead. There are countless ways to celebrate the holidays, so it never has to get old. Also, holidays are hectic. Christmas day is filled with family and a lot of preparations, and it's hard to find time to relax. You have to accommodate everyone, and there's a lot of pressure to fully experience the joy of Christmas day, especially if it’s the only time you’re allowed to celebrate it. But things happen: people argue, effortful preparations fail, or maybe you didn’t do as well in your classes as you hoped (because for some reason, colleges post final grades the day before Christmas). If you’re in a bad mood on Christmas, you’ve ruined the entire experience and now you have to wait an entire year to try again. Because of this, there’s nothing wrong with taking your time to get the most out of your own personal cheer.
Lastly, many view the holidays as the time to give back. Perhaps they feel grateful about everything they have or maybe they want to end the year as their best selves. Nonetheless, people act kinder and do more charity work during the holidays. Why should this aspect of the holiday spirit be discouraged? Ideally, people should feel like this all year around, but if the holidays heighten this desire to give back, it should be as elongated as possible.
In conclusion, get in the holiday spirit whenever you want. For me, the holidays are a time of warmth and relaxation. The stress of finals are over and we all made it through another year. I know that recently it's become popular to complain on the internet, and usually I'll jump on that bandwagon. (Sign me up for Whine About It and passive aggressive hashtags.) But when it comes to criticizing other people for feeling joy, let it go. It's perfectly fine if you want to wait for December to begin all the holiday festivities, but don't try to stop other people from having their own fun.
