Although it may be the early days of November, many are starting to put away fall decorations and prepare for the winter season.
Amid the holiday season, Halloween has passed and Thanksgiving is still approaching yet, it’s not unpopular for people to start celebrating Christmas early. Everyone celebrates differently, from family traditions to favorite activities to get into the holiday spirit, but many have differing views on when those festivities begin.
Julia Rogers, a freshman studying theater, said she starts preparing for Christmas time Nov. 1.
“My favorite is decorating while listening to Christmas music,” Rogers said. “Then I like doing gift baskets for my friends, going shopping to get those. Then decorating the tree at home, which is always like a Thanksgiving thing, but I always do it on Thanksgiving Day.”
Maggie Wheeler, a freshman studying biology, also starts getting out the lights and decorations Nov. 1.
“I love shopping ... going to Christmas shops around Uptown,” Wheeler said. “Going to all those, seeing lights, a lot of parks near me have lights that they put up.”
Because Christmas is so close to other holidays such as Halloween and Thanksgiving, many feel as if people move on from the fall season too quickly. There is often a debate on when people should begin celebrating Christmas.
Rogers suggests this could be due to favoring one holiday over the others and wanting to hold onto it.
“Since I love Christmas so much, I'm going to celebrate it earlier, and other people won't accept that,” Rogers said. “There's people who love Halloween and will celebrate that starting Sept. 1. They won't want to give it up, and they'll listen to Halloween music all the way around.”
She also believes the debate could be due to its correlation with winter and colder weather.
“Christmas is so associated with winter, and it's like, ‘Oh, I'll celebrate when the first snow happens,’ or something like that,” Rogers continued. “I think it's because it really just depends on what holiday you like … the holiday you're going to celebrate for the longest time.”
Ava Subler, a freshman studying marketing, said comfort is often associated with the holiday, which is why many want to lean into the Christmas spirit early.
“I feel like some people find a sense of comfort in celebrating Christmas … and people want to celebrate it as soon as possible,” Subler said.
However, Ava Madison, a freshman studying marketing, said she doesn’t start celebrating Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving.
“I feel like Thanksgiving has got to come first,” Madison said. “I know some people are different about that … I just feel like it's too early. But I don't judge people for (celebrating Christmas early). It's time to be with your family, and your friends and give thanks for the things that you have.”
In an article by Psychology Today, Sebastian Ocklenburg said singing Christmas carols can improve mental well-being.
“One study from Michigan has shown that this tradition can increase physical and psychological well-being as well as increasing social bonds between people that sing together,” Ocklenburg said. “In the study, the scientists investigated the neurochemistry and social flow of group singing. Thus, group singing seems to decrease stress.”
Rogers agreed that preparing for the holiday early can positvely affect one’s happiness.
“Christmas is such a happy season, not only because of the presents, but it also brings people together,” Rogers added. “I want to celebrate that for longer, just for that reason.”
