Isn’t it great to deck the halls with boughs of holly? Isn’t it a great feeling to sing Christmas carols and bust out Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” and the Michael Bublé Christmas album? Well, it’s never too early to start.
When the clocks get turned back and Daylight Savings time ends, it’s hard to be happy past 5 p.m.. What’s the point of doing anything when the night sky looks like the Grinch’s cold, dead heart? When it seems like all hope is lost, you curl up into a warm blanket by the fire, and turn on a Christmas channel to listen to your favorite seasonal classic or maybe binge a few classic Christmas movies with the likes of Elf, the Home Alone franchise, and A Christmas Story all running on various channels and streaming services.
You can’t fit every Christmas activity in a mere 30-day span. Whether it be going to Christmas parties, listening to Christmas carols, watching Christmas movies, buying presents, or looking at Christmas lights, there just isn’t enough time. People don’t say “‘Tis the day” or “Tis the month,” but “‘Tis the season,” for Christmas is worthy of more than just the month it’s attached to.
When you haven’t been soaking up the holly and jolly, you most likely haven’t been thinking about gifts. The more time you have to think about what to give people, the better gifts you can give. Why wait last minute to end up with a return-worthy, lackluster gift when you can get them something that they’ll truly appreciate? Beat the crowds by shopping before the holiday shopping phenomena kicks into effect.
Why shouldn’t you enjoy yourself whenever you want? With thoughts of school work, and stress present in the minds of students, it’s no surprise that Christmas is an escape from our hectic lives and provides a sense of hope, joy, and community that you just can’t find for the rest of the year. “I like the Christmas season, so I think celebrating it early is a good idea,” sophomore Meghna Krishnan said.
While some believe that the premature celebration will overshadow Thanksgiving, when was the last time you thought about Thanksgiving? There aren’t Thanksgiving songs or Thanksgiving lights or Thanksgiving presents to give and receive. There’s nothing Thanksgiving has that Christmas doesn’t.
Other holidays just don’t have the same cultural impact as Christmas. Christmas has gone from a Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Christ, to a time of gifts under the Christmas tree, houses decked with lights, and leaving cookies out for Santa, a man who comes out of retirement one day a year to fly around the world with his magical reindeer, dropping gifts in homes through the chimneys. What’s not to love?
Whether you listen to Christmas carols year-round or you have a set schedule for when it’s acceptable to start, it’s OK to celebrate Christmas whenever you want. The impact that Christmas has on the world is one of joy, and is something that can’t be replicated until next Christmas comes around.
