It’s officially sweater weather here in Texas as the wind has begun to howl through Mont Belvieus’ busy streets, with 60° F weather indicating that Texas winter has officially arrived.
With less than 6 weeks away from the biggest holiday of the year, Christmas is just around the corner.
Every store has now stocked its aisles with holiday cheer and supplies, urging one to begin preparing for the merry holiday season. It’s such a joyous and gleesome time, as the holiday spirit spans out far and wide with lights and decoration announcing the forthcoming arrival of jolly old Santa Claus!
At least that seems to be the case until one realizes what month it currently is right now: November, the month of gratitude. According to research conducted by journalist Scott Tips from culture-sens.com, one of the most prominent and simultaneously meaningful holiday in the United States lies during this month. Thanksgiving: the time where family and friends reunite from far and near to share and eat delicious food and socialize as they stand thankful for their loved ones surrounding them.
This leaves one to wonder, if Thanksgiving is one of the most prominent holidays in America, why is Christmas decoration already overflowing the stores in town? Why doesn’t the Thanksgiving holiday itself have neverending aisles filled with supply and decor for the season rather than it being overlooked with Christmas arrangements?
Based on research from dbknews.com, a notable reason why Thanksgiving is often overlooked by the Christmas holiday is due to the fact that it has few symbols. Yes, Thanksgiving does include turkey and pie and other foods, but those are merely foods. There isn’t nearly the vast variety of objects Christmas has to embody it —songs, gingerbread houses, presents, bells, angels, trees, ornaments, snowmen, bright lights, Santa, reindeer, and so much more. It seems almost unfair for Christmas to be so dominant over other holidays, but it has simply just been this way for ages.
Regardless, this paves the path for one to contemplate what time is actually appropriate for one to begin putting up Christmas decor and listening to Christmas hymns. Although a very controversial topic, our BH community has attempted to justify their views.
“The day after Thanksgiving is the only correct answer,” junior Trinity Atkinson said, “After all, you don’t celebrate New Year’s day weeks before Christmas.”
By doing this, it seems only reasonable in a sense to justify the time frame and gap present between the months of November and December. As Atkison conveys, it is adequate for each holiday to possess their own entity, meaning Christmas occupations should not subjugate the special Thanksgiving season.
However, some individuals believe that there is nothing wrong with bringing up Christmas a few weeks earlier, as it often fills the spirit up with a durable positive mood.
“I think Thanksgiving break is the perfect time to put up Christmas decorations and start your Christmas playlist season,” junior Joseph Baumgarner said. “The festivities always start the Saturday when we get out for Thanksgiving holiday. Once December comes around we all have that 25 day counter ticking down, so I believe it is best to decorate before the first of December to continue feeling the festivities all the way to Christmas day!”
Even decorating a week prior to December seems appropriate to some.
“I believe that the most appropriate time to start putting up Christmas decor and listening to Christmas tunes is the last week of November,” junior Rosalyn Kelly said. “This is because your house will be all ready for festivities after being away for Thanksgiving, and you’ll be hyped up with holiday cheer! You can never have enough Christmas love as that holiday brings out the best in everyone, even the grinches in your life!”
Despite Kelly’s reasonable point, others remain strong believers of each holiday possessing their own entity.
“I believe that the tree shall go up and the music shall be played the day after we feast on Thanksgiving,” junior Maddie Collins said, “I feel that everyone forgets about Thanksgiving and as soon as Halloween is over they want to quickly put up their tree and turn on ‘Rudolph’ or ‘Santa Baby.’ They miss out on the turkeys and cornucopias and the smell of pumpkin spice, losing sight of a holiday full of blessings and joy!”
Regardless, others believe that the magic of the holiday joy has no limits. It can be incorporated into any season of life. It does not necessarily have to be the Christmas season or even before during ones’ thankful era.
“Time doesn’t matter when it comes to putting up decor or listening to Christmas music,” senior Luis Gutierrez said, “As long as you feel happy and festive that is what matters. Some people just choose to wait until early November or during December, but at the end of the day it is up to you to decide.”
Amidst the versatile glee that the holiday season can provide, at the end of the day, there are multiple factors such as money, time, religion, and even traditions that play into the common dispute regarding the Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays.
“I think the answer to this question is subjective to an extreme because it honestly depends on your family, how you celebrate Christmas, and to what extent that you celebrate,” senior Blaine Isom said. “For example, a family that spends a lot of time, money, and effort decorating for this beautiful time of year are more likely to decorate sooner because they want to make use of their time, money, and effort they expend this time of year. On the flip side, some families spend hardly any money on decorations and may be less encouraged to decorate because Christmas isn’t as big of a deal. Others don’t even celebrate Christmas and some families are very frugal at Christmas because of their religious ties to the holiday, but some Christian families go all out because they celebrate it so thoroughly. Another reason this topic is so subjective is a result of custom and tradition. Some families have a tradition of decorating on a certain day each year. So overall, I think the answer truly is up to the individual because there is such a beauty in the subjectivity of everything in life- including Christmas!”
With very valid points, Isom depicts the beauty of such a choice between the holidays as it really does come down to one’s personal circumstance.
Essentially, it all comes down to one’s own personal choice of whether to welcome in the Christmas glee early, or embrace the last few bits of fall with gratitude, delicious meals and orange hue decor. We live in a world where nothing is really “forced” but rather suggested to an extent where one is able to anytime enjoy the little things in life ranging from holiday decor down to simply enjoying time with loved ones, which at the end of the day both holidays possess, provide and instill a positive spirit within all!
