We have a problem here in America. It has pitted neighbor against neighbor, mother against son, brother against sister, and for decades it has been a question of mammoth importance: Should the Christmas season begin before Thanksgiving?
For a “Christmas Traditionalist”, the season of Christmas begins the day following Thanksgiving, allowing room for more than a month’s worth of Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé radio station songs playing twenty-four seven. For “November Radicalist?” Christmas celebration begins right after Halloween, which destroys the memory of Thanksgiving, a holiday with its own history and importance.
Every year, Americans’ patients runs a little thinner, and prompts the desire to celebrate the Christmas season sooner than last time, eroding the very essence of giving thanks and appreciating what you have during the turkey season.
Thanksgiving has been overrun with consumer mania through the popularized commercialization of the holiday season. Originally before Christmas, time was made for family and friends to be together in a stress-free environment right before the huge holiday spike signaled. Thanksgiving was established to celebrate something different than Christmas, the harvest and good blessings for the newly founded America.
Today, marketing firms present Christmas as a deal, rather than a holiday which has reached far beyond the limits of the month of December. It has drowned out a time which should be with family and friends celebrating what they are thankful for, not what they still need for Christmas.
For students in particular, the winter season means final exams and rigorous studying, a feeling not associated with happiness and joy. In fact for most students, preparing for finals brings a profound stress which can ruin the excitement for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. As a student, the stress of finals in addition to the demand of homework and studying I already get each night only creates more pressure and distress.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 64% of people with a mental illness said the holidays made their diagnosis worse. Anyone sensible would want to push back the Christmas season, as opposed to opening its doors sooner, because dragging it out only diminishes the health of students.
Allowing for Thanksgiving to have its own time right before the big holidays can help students feel more prepared going into study season and not as rushed when the Christmas wish lists are due. A sense of being home with friends and family is appreciated by students who are just looking for a break between classes and a pause before the end of the semester.
Thanksgiving’s holiday cheer is about bringing together your loved ones and expressing your gratitude of thanks for what you have. Gratitude is an important virtue that should be practiced because it enhances our appreciation of one another.
A common mistake “Radical Novemberists” make when arguing for an earlier Christmas start, is that the season brings joy and good-hearted people together during a time of need. However, generosity does not need to be limited to just the Christmas season. If that’s the case, then why not have Christmas start in August or June, or just make it a year-round holiday?
There should be a sense of giving all the time. People should not be limited to just being nice around the holidays, because if that is how we thought of things then there would be pranks all the time from April Fools Day, or a candy consumption explosions from Halloween.
There needs to be time for relaxation before the gift buying hustle begins. Along with that, Christmas music and movies start to get redundant after a while. You can only listen to the same songs and watch the same movies for so long before you lose your Christmas joy, and the excitement dwindles.
Thanksgiving gives us a time to remember how grateful we should be and gives us a time to relax before Christmas rolls around. So next time Thanksgiving approaches, wait to set up the tree because being patient will enhance your gratitude and joy, building gradually towards Christmas time.
References
Brar, Kiran. (2019, November 19). Why Christmas should be celebrated after Thanksgiving. The Bulter Collegian. https://thebutlercollegian.com/2019/11/why-christmas-should-be-celebrated-after-thanksgiving/#:~:text=This%20is%20the% 20one%20day,winds%2 0down%20to %20an%20end
Nekrasov, John. (2020, November 9). Opinion: wait until after thanksgiving to usher in the Christmas spirit. Liberty Champion. https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2020/11/opinion-wait-until-after-thanksgiving-to-set-usher-in-the-christmas-spirit/
Gloriod, Sophie. (2021, November 18). Should the Christmas festivals wait for Thanksgiving or start immediately after Halloween. The University News. https://unewsonline.com/2 021/11/s hould-the-christmas-festivities-wait-for-thanksgiving-or-start-immediately-after-halloween/
Baker, Nashia. (2020, November 23). According to a new study, 27% of people put up their holiday decorations before Thanksgiving. Yahoo. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyl e/according-survey-27-people-put-165516508.html?guccounter=1&guce _referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAKUrrRCPb_ZPZ2DuYqLi3J1tKnO1sTM7i4Zi51OIepIN9HIlHqiBwgY8RqfUR00OKRyoMclQ4wxI3b5MUomyhej2fdD0xNkZB5IcUONRhsKDEsRq7qwHkBlorMLgn0v3F825dENh0IMrRvbdnMyQX5d2k57AGnks6aR1DP3nQw
Bushak, Lecia. (2022, December 13). Most college students experiencing higher levels of stress and anxiety over the holidays. MM+M. https://www.mmm-online.com/home/ channel/ most-college-students-experiencing-higher-levels-of-stress-and-anxiety-over-the-holidays/#:~:text=Agency-,Most%20college%20students%20experiencing%20higher%2 0levels%20of%20stress%20and%20anxiety,a%20recent%20TimelyMD%20survey%20finds.&text=Source%3A%20Getty%20Images.
