PRO: One should not have to wait until Thanksgiving to think about Christmas

Every year during November, the same debate makes an appearance: should the Christmas celebration start after Thanksgiving, or can it be celebrated beforehand? The Christmas season should be celebrated before Thanksgiving.

Aside from pumpkins and a few Thanksgiving signs, there are very few Thanksgiving and fall decorations available in stores. This makes it very difficult for people to decorate during the fall season in the first place.

Alternatively, Christmas decorations are available in many in-person and online stores, and they are often reusable, unlike jack-o-lanterns or Thanksgiving cornucopias.
Even if you are lucky enough to find a cute decoration for autumn, the hues of the object are often brown, orange, or yellow. The bright greens, golds, and reds of Christmas decorations are much more visually appealing and noticeable.

Typically, people decorate the most for Christmas, usually incorporating a tree with decorations, wreaths, and lights around the house and gardens with holiday ornaments in the house. From experience, I know it takes a very long time to pick out a tree, decorate it, and put up lights around the house.

It may even take longer to take all these decorations down. If we start Christmas celebrations before Thanksgiving, it gives people more time to decorate and more time to leave their hard work out during the winter season.

Additionally, Christmas decorations and seasonal activities are very enjoyable for children, and allowing them to start earlier gives people more time to enjoy these festivities.

As a kid, I remember counting down the days in November until our family would go out to get a Christmas tree, and I know many kids like me don’t like to wait until December to get their tree.

Some of my favorite things to do out of the whole year are the dancing light shows, ice skating, Christmas movies, Christmas songs, and sledding. Since these activities often close after Christmas Day, I feel like I have to rush through everything during winter. I find myself not enjoying them as much as I used to. This could change if we celebrated Christmas during November.

There is an argument that starting Christmas in November makes Thanksgiving seem unimportant. Obviously Thanksgiving is a huge holiday in America, and it deserves all the recognition it gets. However, Thanksgiving does not have any religious significance, and it is often only associated with food.

Alternatively, Christmas represents the culture and traditions of so many Christians across the world. Decorations for Christmas also remind people to be kind and merry towards each other during the holidays.  – Annabel Everett

CON: The Christmas season should begin after Thanksgiving is over

The smell of pine needles fills your nose as you and your family are putting ornaments on this year’s Christmas tree. Songs by Michael Buble and Mariah Carey fill your ears while your parent makes a fire in the fireplace. You and your entire family can’t wait for Christmas—except it’s November 1.

Celebrating Christmas is annual fun for everyone, but commercialization causes it to be celebrated way too early.

As soon as it reaches October 31, retail stores start putting out their Christmas-related merchandise, not even giving time for Halloween to be over. This idea of rushing through the holidays can contradict what the whole of what Thanksgiving is about: spending time with loved ones.

The holidays, especially Thanksgiving, are a time to appreciate friends and family around you and to reconnect with people you haven’t seen in a while.

Thanksgiving is the time to embrace the fall season before we reach the frigid winter. Play in the leaves. Enjoy the mix of warmth reaching coolness. Go on hikes. Play football with your family. Watch the Macy’s Day Parade or the Turkey Bowl. The anticipation of Christmas distracts people from the joy of autumn.

Even though Thanksgiving is a full month before Christmas, it’s always overshadowed by winter cheer. When in the Christmas mindset, people often think about the presents they’re going to get. This takes away from the message of being grateful for what you already have.

Thanksgiving is an important part in teaching the giving aspect of the holiday season while Christmas is exciting for the receiving side of the holiday season since receiving is nothing when giving is not appreciated. Life is not all about presents; it is about the love you have for someone to offer something to show your appreciation for them. That is the purpose of Thanksgiving.

It’s hard to be thankful for your loved ones when there’s candy canes and tinsel at every corner, and your mind is full of thoughts about what gifts you’re getting.

I understand why people get so excited for Christmas; it’s a great holiday, but admittingly, it is strange to eat Thanksgiving dinner with your family while being surrounded by Nativity Scenes and nutcrackers with the scent of mint filling your nose instead of turkey.

Giving Christmas two months to be celebrated takes away from the joy of the season. People will do the traditional Christmas activities like ice skating and tree lightings earlier in the season, so when Christmas actually comes around, there will be no drive towards those attractions. The Christmas excitement will fizzle out within the first week of December, and it won’t be fun when Christmas Day actually arrives.

Black Friday symbolizes the start of the Christmas season, and that is the appropriate time to start Christmas festivities and celebrations. – Aeowynn Ayres