Christmas before Halloween?

“Christmas is just about my favorite time. Ever since I was a little kid, I always felt like it was my own personal holiday.” — Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)

For many, Christmas time is a time full of joy. From the gifts, great cooking, desserts, and spending time with family and friends; it all just contributes to the specialty of the holiday. Every year though, it seems like the Christmas season starts earlier and earlier. First, it was after Thanksgiving. Then, it creeped just before Thanksgiving. And now, it is starting just before Halloween. The simple question is; Should the Christmas season start before Halloween? 

The answer is an enormous NO. While Christmas is my personal favorite holiday to celebrate, we can’t celebrate it for too long or it will lose its “magic.” I believe that starting November 1st is when the Christmas season should start. While Thanksgiving is important, it is not as universally recognized as a joyful holiday. For a lot of people, it can be too intense with the reunion of the entire family, rather than the immediate family you see for Christmas. Christmas is widely celebrated as the holiday that brings joy and where you attempt to make others happy as well. Especially in a year like 2020, we need much more joy in our lives, and that starts with Christmas. Like the Grinch said, “Maybe Christmas… doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more.”

Christmas needs two months for the amount of joy it can bring people. Seeing the decorations and the amount of excitement people have for it is worth it. Thanksgiving can have its day, but Christmas is what the season is all about.