There are no bigger enthusiasts of Christmas than myself, but even I exhibit self-restraint when it comes to how early I celebrate the holiday. I am a firm believer that festivities can’t begin until December 1st, which is why I don’t pull out my vast assortment of Christmas sweaters until then. With Christmas around the corner and the holiday season already underway, questions arise: How long does the Christmas season really last? When can you finally bust out the ugly sweaters? When can you start blasting “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey? How can you sustain your Christmas spirit for the entire month and keep it going strong?
There’s no need to listen to Christmas music, get Christmas decorations set up, or wear Christmas attire as soon as Halloween is over. Celebrating Christmas for 8 weeks or more is over the top, and may actually take away from the festive fervor. However, others disagree.
“Christmas starts November 1st and ends on Christmas. [When Christmas day is over] Christmas happiness is just gone,” senior Ally Morris said.
Traditionally, festivities started four Sundays before Christmas day and lasted for the 12 days following, ending on Epiphany (January 6th), starting from the sixth century. Nowadays, hardly anyone adheres to these traditional beliefs because the holiday is less religious and more commercial.
Christmas is still a winter holiday, depicted with snow on the ground, not piles of dead leaves, and those who start celebrating November 1st are completely missing the season as a whole. They’re celebrating Christmas in the fall, and skipping over Thanksgiving, a fall holiday.
Other people are even more extreme about their festivities, believing that Christmas lasts the entirety of the year, and never ends.
“I believe [Christmas season starts] on January 1st. Christmas is a year-round event. You’ve got to pregame the pregame,” junior Daniel Davidson said.
A problem with year-round celebrations is that it takes away from the glory and spectacle of the holiday. If you spend all year celebrating, listening to Christmas music, and wearing ugly Christmas sweaters, you’re bound to get exhausted from the holiday.
Another debate about Christmas time celebrations is when they end. Those who start on November 1st typically are done by the time Christmas rolls around because they get burnt out. Christmas is like a marathon, and starting festivities on November 1st, and ending on Christmas because you’re tired of the music and festivities is like sprinting the first mile and then walking over the finish line. That’s why I urge you to hold off on listening to Christmas music, wearing ugly sweaters, and other festivities at least until after Thanksgiving, preferably December 1st. Start off slow with your festivities, that way you can enjoy the Christmas season through winter and end your celebration around the middle of January when winter is in full swing
In a world where some deck the halls before Halloween candy is unwrapped and others keep the spirit alive long enough to confuse the Easter Bunny, let’s face it, arguing about when to start and end the Christmas season is as futile as trying to wrap a present with a kitten in the room—chaotic, entertaining, and nobody really wins.
