Once Halloween is over, Christmas music begins to play and decorations start emerging everywhere. After holding onto the summer season all the way to October, Thanksgiving is completely forgotten and the fall season is cut short by the Christmas ambience. Although I absolutely love Christmas, and express that with my ample use of Christmas decor and obsessive listening to holiday music, playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving is a crime.
The beauty of the changing leaves, the chilly weather and the fun of picking apples and pumpkins deserves its time to be appreciated. Decorating for fall with pumpkins and leaves is also a great substitute for starting to decorate for the holidays so early. The fall atmosphere is truly amazing and needs to be appreciated for a longer amount of time.
Of course, not everyone is a fan of the fall season and because of that, some may want to celebrate Christmas early. However, the idea of eating a Thanksgiving turkey with a snowy tree in the corner and a toy Santa in the background feels like a chaotic and mismatched image. Many also argue that they move to Christmas as they do not partake in Thanksgiving, yet the idea still seems wrong if the weather does not fall below 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mid-September, October and November should be left to enjoy the fall atmosphere. Then, once Thanksgiving is over, Christmas can be celebrated with great zeal, bringing that lively spirit into January.
Unfortunately, however passionate I am about leaving the Christmas spirit until after Thanksgiving, I am forced to listen to Christmas music starting in October as a retail employee. Even though it is deeply upsetting that they already have Christmas decorations, peppermint mochas at Starbucks and Christmas music playing, there is no choice but to put up with it.
It is understandable that businesses start selling Christmas merchandise so early in an effort to increase sales, as it is the most profitable time of the year. Companies need customers to buy Christmas presents early to spread out the chaos of Christmas shopping. In reality, it is a clever business tactic, but it has shifted the nature of the Christmas season from spending time with family and spreading kindness to being entirely product-focused, and shifted it two months too early.
Not only are people eager to move to the Christmas season, but just as soon as Dec. 25 passes, the Christmas decorations are torn down and the season is entirely forgotten. The Christmas cheer should be carried into the freezing month of January to maintain the joy and kindness of the holiday season. In countless other cultures, Christmas does not end until January 6th, the Epiphany. This extends the holiday celebrations for far longer, maintaining the holiday spirit.
All of this being said, I personally will be waiting until the day after Thanksgiving to bring out my decorations and listen to my personal Christmas playlist. The fall season and Thanksgiving deserve to be celebrated and enjoyed as their own independent holiday, without rushing into the Christmas season too soon.
