Christmas only comes once a year, so why not celebrate while you can? (And yes, we are still giving Thanksgiving it’s time)
Ahh. The Yankee Candle gives off a warm cinnamon scent; “The Christmas Song” plays softly in the background; you place the finishing gumdrop on your gingerbread house –– and it’s only November.
Many people think Christmas must have a definitive start time of December, or at least until after Thanksgiving is over. But what’s the point of postponing a holiday full of bliss? It only comes around once a year, so you might as well deck the halls with boughs of holly while you can.
Up until this year, I was an avid supporter of Christmas after Thanksgiving. I mean, come on, give the turkey and cranberry sauce its spotlight, right? But then, I was driving home when Spotify stopped playing my Taylor Swift tunes. I tried to reload the app, but nothing happened. So I was forced to turn on the radio where my Christmas fate awaited on KOST 103.5. There played the first Christmas carol of the season.
I was shocked at how soon Christmas took over the radio. It was only Nov. 9, and KOST had started playing Christmas songs four days earlier. But then my mood shifted instantly. I was transported to a place of happiness and good memories. Shortly after, my pine scented candle was lit, and I couldn’t wait to relive another Christmas season.
Christmas is a time for family, traditions, religious appreciation, cultural importance and more. It is an influential part of the year for many individuals, and because of the good moments associated with it, people associate joy with the holiday season.
Oftentimes, the year brings many unexpected, draining situations. By the time Christmas rolls around, we are ready to take a break and enjoy those moments of delight we remember from the past.
Psychoanalyst Steve McKeown conducted a study that proved this connection between Christmas, happiness and joyous memories.
“In a world full of stress and anxiety people like to associate to things that make them happy and Christmas decorations evoke those strong feelings of childhood,” McKeown said. “So putting up those Christmas decorations early extends the excitement!”
On top of being transported to the good old times, the Christmas season is now a whole fiasco and not just a single day on the calendar. There are parades, light shows, snow parties, ski trips and more. If you want to do all of the festive activities before time is up, you need to extend the Christmas spirit beyond a couple of weeks.
If we are extending Christmas by a couple of weeks, the only window to do so is after Halloween. Anything before would be impossible, as everyone is all about the spooky spirit leading up to Oct. 31. But after Halloween, it’s a free for all.
In my view, Christmas only comes around once a year, and if you crave that extra bit of merry cheer, then take it and run with it.
But I get it. It often seem like Thanksgiving doesn’t get a fair shot. Before Thanksgiving, it’s all about costumes, pumpkins and trick-or-treating. Then Nov. 1 hits and you’d think it would be time for the tukey to shine, but nope. You wake up and everywhere you turn, it’s blaring red and green. But just because we are choosing to celebrate Chsitmas early doesn’t mean we are forgetting about Thanksgiving.
I remember hanging ornaments on the tree with my mom pre-Thanksgiving and asking her why she didn’t simply wait until after. Thanksgiving was right around the corner, and glazing over turkey day didn’t seem right. She told me she wasn’t glazing over Thanksgiving and she would celebrate it just as equally –– and she did.
She created “The Book of Thanks,” where pages were filled with paper leaves for the family to write down what they were thankful for. She also took the initiative and created a to-do list leading up to the family dinner. And when Thanksgiving night rolled around, fall decor was everywhere.
Celebrating Christmas early doesn’t mean we are disregarding Thanksgiving. It simply means taking a little break from candy canes and hot chocolate to eat some stuffing and say our thanks. So what’s the problem here?
Above all else, celebrating Christmas early is a personal decision. If you are someone who is completely against the initiative, then boycott the movement. Don’t put up the decor yet, leave the lights in the basement and turn off KOST. On the other hand, if you’re all for a longer holiday season, then celebrate without reserve. It’s 2019, so to each their own!
But if you’re anything like me, go make some tree-shaped cookies, have an ornament party and hang up your stockings. It may only be November, but it’s never too early to celebrate the joys of Christmas. After all, Andy Williams doesn’t sing, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” for no reason.