The holiday season is, as we all have heard, “the most wonderful time of the year.” With multicolored string lights, warm coats, fuzzy socks, and sweet treats galore, the holiday season is a time nearly everyone adores. But how early is too early to put up that tree and get into the holiday mood? There seem to be two major opinions, and the one that I share is that the season begins after Thanksgiving.
Not to be a Grinch, but tearing down the scarecrow to put up lights around the house the moment November 1st hits seems extreme. Just a few hours before, we’re stuffed with dozens of candies from a day’s work of politely asking for free things while wearing costumes from every genre. Then, all of a sudden, we’re donning our fuzzy socks and playing holiday music?
The months of October through the beginning of January are packed with several holidays and events. We have Halloween, Thanksgiving, and then all of the holidays in December including Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Years celebrations. December holidays should not be taking over November! I argue that after a while, the holiday mood dies down if brought out for several months. It hits harder when the season is shorter, so we can savor and appreciate it to the fullest capacity.
I believe that we should allow November to be celebrated as what it is: a dull month of nothing until we stuff ourselves at the Thanksgiving table. Waiting for the holiday season to hit then becomes that much more rewarding.
That way, the moment December begins, the music can start playing lazily in the background while we all sip hot chocolate by the fireplace, basking in the glow.