It’s the most wonderful time of the year! But, is it? The Christmas season has always been something that most people look forward to each year. Typically, the Christmas season could start either after Thanksgiving or in the beginning of December, but due to social media, large companies, and businesses it feels like the Christmas season has come early with people starting to celebrate as early as November 1st. It seems as if the topic of Christmas and when it should be celebrated creates a debate almost every year.
When simply researching, the “correct” answer is about after Thanksgiving, but with corporate companies setting up holiday displays as early as October it creates an early festive mood. Open up any social media platform and you’ll find countless videos about Christmas, decorating, or anything festive and jolly. Even superstar Mariah Carey, the “Christmas Queen”claims the perfect time for Christmas is November 1st. Streaming platforms such as Netflix display all their new Christmas movies promptly after Halloween. With all this, it seems as if we skip past Thanksgiving and move straight to Christmas, but is this such a bad thing? The holidays all come towards the end of the year, so what’s wrong with wanting to appreciate Christmas a little longer.
Christmas can mean many different things to many different people. According to freshman Emma Franco, she describes Christmas as “something that brings everyone together and makes us feel cozy and happy”. Franco says,”I usually start celebrating Christmas right after Thanksgiving, but sometimes earlier, like in the middle of November”.
In Naomi Ludlow’s USA Today article,”Is it still too early to celebrate Christmas? Yeah, it’s time for that debate again”, she speaks to physiotherapist Owen O’Kane who conducted a study about Christmas. They concluded that most people associate the Christmas season with fond memories, family, warmth, and nostalgia. Thus creating a crave for the holiday month to come as soon as possible. People look forward to family traditions that they connect with fond childhood memories, leading up towards the holidays. She states how,”humans set expectations for pleasure, and produce dopamine”.
Whether you start celebrating as soon as November or wait until December 1st, Christmas is a holiday that most people can celebrate no matter when you start celebrating. So, if celebrating a month in advance creates happiness for you, I see no better way to celebrate. The day to start Christmas has never been an official day on the calendar, but what matters most is that the season means something significant to you when it finally arrives.
