Christmas needs to stay in its lane
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
I am sure it is no secret that across the globe, Christmas is a holiday phenomenon. Wreaths, trees, lights, garlands, fake snow, and reindeer fill homes and department stores the second this joyous season rolls around, but I am writing to ask: Has it gone too far?
It has sort of become a joke that the “Christmas Crew” has some intense tendencies and often starts singing the praises of this time of year to the chagrin of many borderline-Ebeneezers, but maybe they are making some fair points. Now, I enjoy Christmas as much as the next person; I will usually take any excuse to sip some hot chocolate, terribly wrap presents, eat too many cookies, and annoy people with my singing; however, it seems each year, Christmas decorations start creeping their way into your friendly neighborhood aisles sooner and sooner.
In early October, I found myself at Walmart to complete some casual grocery shopping. I am a Halloween enjoyer, so during this time, I spent some time going through the store and looking for what kinds of Halloween decorations I might be able to waste some of my spare funds on. While doing so, I noticed that the store had already begun putting out Christmas decorations—I was aghast. I mean, starting to roll these things out in early November, still a little iffy, but I let it slide. OCTOBER—yeah—I am not so sure about that.
Part of what makes holidays so special is that they are not every day of the year, and while people might want to extend a major holiday’s month by a week or two to really just get into the spirit and the most “bang for their buck” out of their purchased items—Christmas in October is just a bit too much for me. At some point, Christmas will not only continue to choke out the other major holidays the fall and winter season brings with it, like Halloween and Thanksgiving, but it will also—I feel—start to lose some of its magic. I could never deny that Christmas is a beautiful holiday. Seeing everyone’s Christmas tree lights shine out from living room windows and the crisp, sharp folds of expert wrappers are a sight to behold and fill me with deep whimsy and wonder, but it becomes less so when the whole holiday gets dragged out so long.
The “Christmas Crew” often cites wanting to bring festive cheer and joy earlier in the year or the joy decorating brings as a reason for the holiday's early arrival. I think some tend to revolt against these trends because, in reality, they ruin some of them for us. Now, all I ask of you, Christmas lovers, is to return to the Nov. 1 rituals of early Christmas, please. Thanksgiving is not a terribly decorative holiday, so it is fine if you want to fly through the more ostentatious holidays sooner. Still, Halloween is also a “cult classic” holiday, and giving it more room to breathe will make the Christmas wonder when it comes, all the more enjoyable.