Is November too Early to Start Decorating for Christmas?

Chelle: It’s Never too Early for the Holidays!

The holidays are a great time of year. People go to see their families, eat without worrying about calories, and celebrate just about everything.

No matter what your religion or culture is, you can find something to celebrate. If you’re Jewish, Happy Hanukkah. If you’re of African heritage, Happy Kwanzaa. If you’re Christian, Merry Christmas. If you’re atheist, Happy New Year.

Some people think that people shouldn’t start celebrating until December, or after Thanksgiving. One of the big arguments is that Thanksgiving needs its own time. People who argue that are clearly mistaken.

Thanksgiving is overrated. It celebrates white people spreading disease and taking things from other cultures. We already have Columbus Day and President’s Day. No one needs another one.

Not only is Thanksgiving a terrible concept, but somehow, Americans made it worse by deciding that people should eat the driest bird they could find, turkey. To add insult to injury, they also eat cranberry sauce, otherwise known as “I just pulled this out of a can and it’s the consistency of jello,” and stuffing, which my brother used to refer to as “squishy croutons.”

The only somewhat redeeming concept of the Thanksgiving meal is green-bean casserole, which definitely counts as a vegetable and should really be made year-round.

The real holidays, not Pilgrim-day, could replace Thanksgiving all-together. The best concepts from Thanksgiving are community, thankfulness, and of course, green-bean casserole, all of which could be done at any other holiday.

Everyone needs a little bit of cheer, especially when the end of the year is approaching. One of the best ways to add cheer to the world is through celebration. Whether you like to hang pretty lights up, bake cookies, or give presents, whatever brings a smile to someone’s face is a great thing to do.

Endings are sad, but they’re the only way we can get new beginnings. Celebrate them.

 

Emily: November is for Thanksgiving!

I’m not saying people who start Christmas on November 1 are idiots, but they’re leaning towards that.

I’m a great lover of the holidays. I know my holidays. I know how to celebrate each holiday. There’s only so much time allotted to each holiday. Halloween gets the month of October, Easter gets a week in Spring, Christmas gets two to three months on its own without November. Where does that leave Thanksgiving?

Now Thanksgiving is a problematic holiday, but if you’re going to have a holiday you should have some time dedicated to it. Christmas cuts into Thanksgiving time and people end up eating turkey and pumpkin pie around a lit Christmas tree.

I get Christmas lights. You want to put them up early so you don’t freeze in winter. Twinkly lights can also be festive with any season, or just look nice on their own. I approve of twinkly lights, but when you bring out the Santa on November 1 I want to pull my hair out.

What is people’s rush with celebrating Christmas so soon? Don’t they get tired of it? I get sick of Christmas within a month, I can’t imagine getting sick of the holiday before the actual holiday starts. It’s also totally acceptable to continue celebrating Christmas for months after it ends. That means that if you wait till December 1 you can still have your decorations up for two or three months. Then Christmas stays a holiday and not a season.

Also, what sorts of drinks are there for Christmas? Peppermint and eggnog? Is that it? I can chew a piece of gum and sip my coffee. Eggnog is good but not for three months, it’s literally eggs. Eggs can get tiresome. Why do you want to rush in a season where your main drinks are peppermint and eggnog? You have to live with that for so much longer than you would.

I think December 1 is an acceptable starting point for Christmas celebration. Any sooner and you have no respect for yourself. What do you have to gain from early celebration? Repeat holiday outfits and dusty Christmas lights? No thank you.

I will hold off on Christmas decoration until Thanksgiving has passed (like a normal human being) and I will bask in fall while I still can. Apple cider, colored leaves, and chilly mornings are my aesthetic and have very little time to be enjoyed compared to Christmas. Fight me.