When Is ‘Too Early’ to Start Celebrating Christmas?
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Every year, the debate of when is an acceptable time to begin celebrating Christmas remains contentious. Some begin the festivities as early as November 1st whilst others halt any celebrations until December 1st.
Christmas is frequently deemed the most wonderful time of the year, with many eagerly awaiting the beginning of the festivities. However, when celebrations begin as early as November 1st, are Thanksgiving and Halloween overlooked? Is our keenness to commence Christmas festivities more detrimental than beneficial?
Those that start celebrating in early December frequently explain premature celebrations make Christmas less magical as the hype surrounding festivities is unable to live up to expectations. Christmas has a dedicated whole month whilst Thanksgiving and Halloween have only a day. By skipping to Christmas, the excitement surrounding Thanksgiving and Halloween is taken away. Many would suggest there must be a greater balance across all holiday celebrations.
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Christmas decorations become more than solely a way to beautify one’s home. They come to symbolize long-standing traditions; traditions defined by bonding with loved ones under the guise of a unifying festivity. It was revealed 63% of participants began decorating for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. The average American spends $269 yearly for decorations enjoyed for a little over a month and $549 on gifts for family and friends. Whilst impossible to place a precise tag on Christmas celebrations in the US, the National Retail Federation notes festive spending has increased by 45% over the past decade. In 2019, the US spent $729.1 billion throughout the Christmas season.
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So, is there a ‘correct’ day to begin celebrating? A Google search will say that until the final day of November or the first of December, Christmas cannot be celebrated. There is an unwritten rule that until Thanksgiving has passed, festivities cannot commence. Given Christmas is a traditionally Christian celebration, the Church celebrated the pending birth of Christ on ‘Advent Sunday’, the first Sunday before Christmas Day. Should the history of Christmas determine when it is acceptable to commence festivities?
Does the donning of local decorations indicate an acceptable time to begin celebrating? Chicago’s Navy Pier Winter Wonderland opens on November 25th, and New York’s Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree on November 30th. Do these events act as a guiding force for when to start celebrating?
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Whether pre- or post-Thanksgiving, the donning of a Christmas sweater and the blaring of festive songs will be an eternal debate. The next contentious debate ... when to take the decorations down?
Strike Out,
Writer: Mae Brennan
Editors: Katie Sharp, Natalie Daskal
Notre Dame
