Don’t Wait To Deck The Halls
Decorating for Christmas should start earlier rather than later to maximize the joy of the holiday season
Each family and friend group has their own unique way of celebrating the holiday season. Some spare no expense in shopping for gifts, seasonal treats, and most controversially, decorations. What seems like an innocent aspect of the holidays can actually be a topic of hot debate, especially when it comes to Christmas time. While many argue that Christmas decorations should be kept in the month of December, it’s important to remember each house’s individual right to celebrate as they like and to take into account the complexities of scheduling and the importance of holiday cheer.
It’s not uncommon to hear complaints in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving that plead with Christmas to stay in its lane. This sentiment neglects Christmas’s significance and the simple fact that Thanksgiving hardly warrants a whole month to itself. While the two contrast strongly in aesthetic, the spirits of the two holidays are extremely similar. Both celebrate togetherness and generosity, though Christmas has far more traditions associated with it. The truth is, Thanksgiving is not nearly the powerhouse that Christmas is when it comes to cultural significance. After all, there aren’t nearly as many Thanksgiving movies or songs as there are for Christmas. The decorations for Christmas should take precedence.
Now more than ever, Christmas spirit might be just the thing everyone needs to brighten the year. According to the American Psychological Association’s annual mental health poll taken in 2024, “43% of adults say they feel more anxious than they did the previous year, up from 37% in 2023 and 32% in 2022,”. Most will agree that it’s important to decompress. The holiday season is a stressful time for many but decking the halls is an excellent remedy for everyday worries. Seeing decorations can evoke memories of the happy times associated with holidays past. Decorating for the season can also provide the fun and community-building necessary to destress and get excited for taking part in the festivities with loved ones.
Then there comes the issue of scheduling. With the holidays being such a busy time and friends and family often being scattered, the time left to spend together can be limited. Important activities like decorating for Christmas may need to be moved to earlier dates to accommodate everyone’s schedule. Thus, Christmas in November. Pushing up Christmas decorating before Thanksgiving also gives more time to spend with loved ones afterwards and also leaves plenty of time open for Black Friday shopping.
Whether they go all out or keep it casual, everyone should be able to celebrate the holidays as they wish, even if that means that the Christmas lights go up a little early. After all, who really suffers when one of the houses in the neighborhood has their decorations up before December? Decorations are a fun, safe way to express excitement for the most anticipated holidays of the year. Why not start the celebrations a little early?
Keep Christmas Reined In
As the years progress, Christmas decorations are wrongfully set up earlier and earlier
Barely a day after Halloween, the Christmas spirit has already begun to seep into our minds. Choking on tinsel and suffocating under the strong scent of pine, Mariah Carey wakes, her voice a knell as we mourn Halloween. It seems as though Christmas capitalism attacks earlier each year, never hesitating to sink its claws into the flesh of the American wallet.
Christmas is an internationally beloved holiday. Every kid looks forward to baking cookies for Santa at night and waking up to a house full of presents. And while this excitement is understandable, the lights should remain in the garage until at least two days after Thanksgiving.
While a jolly holiday for the most part, Christmas also comes with many negative emotions. Decorating plays a large role in this, as people feel obligated to spend money on extravagant decor, both inside the house and out. Societal pressure means rushing to the stores to be the best-dressed house in the neighborhood, taking the fun out of decorating. This teaches kids that the importance of Christmas is purely aesthetic, that they should focus on keeping up with the Jones’ instead of enjoying quality time with their family.
As the year comes to an end, there are four back-to-back holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Being so close together, some people choose to skip Thanksgiving or even Halloween in favor of Christmas. Some families do not hesitate to put up the Christmas lights the second October begins, marking the beginning of the holiday season. However, why should we forget about the two preceding holidays so quickly?
Halloween is another beloved holiday, but as time goes on, the spooky celebration is forced into Christmas’ shadow. Instead of people placing value on Halloween, many view it as a simple stepping stone to Christmas. What is the result of this? Stores follow what the community says, and by October 31st, the Christmas decor has already been set up for purchase.
Yet another holiday to be ignored, Thanksgiving is celebrated less and less. By the time it rolls around, people have already set up their trees and have Mariah Carey stuck in their heads as they half-heartedly turn on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Perhaps the biggest question is why we have started placing Christmas on an even higher pedestal. There is one simple answer: capitalism. If stores did not roll out Christmas decor so early, people would not be as quick to buy it and put decorations up before winter even begins. Unfortunately, a cycle is created in which companies try to make the public happy by putting decorations out early, and the public buys these decorations in bulk, preparing for an unlikely moment where their favorite blow-up Rudolph is out of stock.
Recently, the Christmas season has become two seasons: both fall and winter. Soon enough, the Easter Bunny will be equipped with a sleigh and hat, as this Christmas takeover progresses. When does Christmas end and every other holiday begin?
