by: Michelle Barnhart
Halloween has passed and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Christmas is less than two months away. Around this time of year, people are divided on one pertinent issue: is it too early to start with holiday festivities?
This debate, which normally arises right after Halloween, has already begun. Stores have already stocked holiday items; Starbucks is releasing holiday-themed cups; rants and memes from both sides of the argument have been surfacing all over social media.
To investigate the depth of this debate, the Prospectus conducted a survey. The anonymous survey was made up of nine questions and asked participants what kinds of Christmas activities o themes they have seen already, as well as where they stand on the issue. Of the 33 people surveyed, 13 were Parkland students or Parkland alumni.
Of the 33 participants, 30 said they have already seen or heard Christmas related things somewhere. Common examples provided were Christmas decorations (at stores and in neighborhoods), Christmas music and Christmas movies, such as on Lifetime or Hallmark. 21 participants, or 63.6 percent, said that it does not bother them to see or hear Christmas things this early. The other 12 participants, or 36.4 percent, said that they get annoyed with the early festivities.
“It [Christmas] becomes too commercialized when it goes on for longer than a month”
Reasons provided by participants on both sides varied greatly. The most common response for people who do not like the early festivities was that it overlooks Thanksgiving and ruins the general fall atmosphere.
“I enjoy the Christmas spirit, but recently the idea of being thankful and grateful has been looked over,” one Parkland student wrote. “Society has become greedier and I think overlooking Thanksgiving is a part of that.”
Many also said that it encourages people to spend more money on Christmas stuff than necessary.
“It becomes too commercialized when it goes on for longer than a month,” one participant said. Others agreed that Christmas has become more of a consumer holiday, and that the actual heart of it is starting to get lost.
A couple of other participants said that starting the Christmas celebrations a month early takes away from the magic of the actual Christmas season.
“There’s no reason to celebrate a holiday for two months,” one participant said. Another added, “I would like to enjoy the season when it comes, not rush to it.”
On the opposite side, many participants said they don’t mind an early start to the holiday.
“I think people need plenty of time to be prepared for the holiday,” one participant wrote.
Most stated that they love Christmas time and therefore are excited to get it going. Some additionally stated that for them, Christmas festivities add to Thanksgiving. “Plus, there’s no Thanksgiving music,” one participant joked.
Lastly, some participants wrote that they like seeing holiday things stocked early in stores. “I have a lot of gifts to buy, so it helps to get me in the shopping mood,” one participant said. A couple of others stated that it reminds them to save for and buy gifts. A Parkland student who works in retail also stated that people enjoy getting their shopping done early to avoid crowds.
“Some people have situations where they may need to decorate sooner than others,” they added.
The survey concluded by asking all participants what they believe is an appropriate time for holiday festivities to begin. Most voted for around or after Thanksgiving, while a few voted for after Halloween. One participant stated that people should begin celebrating whenever they wish, asking “Why does there have to be a ‘time?’”
Overall, participants on both sides of the debate offered valid and passionate viewpoints. There really is not one answer for “how early is too early?” when it comes to holiday festivities. As such, people will just have to agree to disagree.
