As one of the most celebrated holidays of the year, Christmas is filled with pine trees, hot chocolate, cozy fireplace gatherings, and ringing laughter. For many, it is the happiest season of the year — a time for gift-giving and receiving, and for spending well-earned time with family and friends. However, the question of when the Christmas season truly begins begs a complex answer.
Those eager for the holidays to begin might argue that the Christmas season starts on November 1st, the day after Halloween, while others may go so far as to say that Christmas doesn’t begin until December 24th, Christmas Eve. For me, although an air of festivity starts around the beginning of November, leading up to Thanksgiving, the Christmas-specific season doesn’t start until after Thanksgiving and Black Friday. As a resident of Lexington, the town begins to put up Christmas decorations and lights around the town center during this time period as well, further adding to the feeling of cheer and celebration.
Nationwide, it is common to see many large companies begin Christmas advertising on November 1st, completely skipping over Thanksgiving. For instance, Starbucks released its holiday menu with seasonal cups on November 6th, and Mariah Carey, famous for her Christmas songs, released ads on November 1st for specific companies. While it is great to get into the holiday feeling early, there still should be more respect and time for the celebration of Thanksgiving, an important holiday of gratitude.
On the other hand, waiting until mid- or late-December to begin putting up Christmas decorations or to start listening to Christmas music is too late. Christmas music in November always lifts my spirits and reminds me to look forward past the difficult crunch periods in school. Seeing Christmas decorations around town or on houses makes the environment so much more joyful. Additionally, waiting to begin putting up Christmas decorations would put a gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas, which, in my opinion, is not ideal. Especially since school becomes a race towards finals week, I like to always have a holiday to look forward to and feel excitement for.
Therefore, beginning Christmas celebrations right after Thanksgiving is the perfect happy medium. It gives time for Thanksgiving to be thoroughly honored and observed, while also beginning holiday festivities early enough to beat the end-of-semester craze. However, no matter when you begin celebrating Christmas, early or late, the holidays are a time for cheerfulness and fun, so enjoy the precious time with loved ones!