November is the season of autumn leaves, Thanksgiving, and pumpkin spice lattes. However, for some people, November 1st brings something else: the Christmas season. Once stores have shooed away their Halloween decorations, Christmas becomes front and center. This rush of the Yuletide season has since sparked a heated debate: when is the right time to decorate for Christmas?
Christmas decorations have had a long and storied history. Both the traditions of putting up a Christmas tree and adorning it with ornaments have Germanic origins, and as time has gone on America has put a new spin on decorating. In whatever way you decorate, whether by dressing up a Christmas tree or something else, you probably already have a schedule for decking the halls. The question is, are you doing it at the right time, or is there one?
For some, the Christmas season starts early. Freshman Avery Gladd says she likes to decorate before Thanksgiving.
“I like to decorate before Thanksgiving,” Gladd says. “Seeing the decorations up early gives me something to look forward to!”
Many Americans agree, with 34% of respondents in a survey saying that they prefer to decorate before Thanksgiving. Getting into the Christmas spirit early can actually make you happier and appear more sociable, according to a study on the impact of Christmas decorations. The study showed that having Christmas decorations up can be a mood-booster and make you appear more friendly to other people.
Early Christmas decorating can also be attributed to American consumer culture. Since the industrialization of the United States, companies have sought to commercialize Christmas. This process is the reason why decorations appear in stores as early as October. Marketing techniques used to convince consumers that gifts are needed to show a connection with others have resulted in Christmastide rushes in every store. Although you may not start buying decorations the second stores release them, consumer culture has undeniably affected when the Christmas season starts.
On the other side of the debate are those who prefer to decorate later in the year. Caroline Bauguess, a freshman, chooses to decorate the day after Thanksgiving.
“I think anything before the week of Thanksgiving is too early because I think the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade signifies the start of the holiday season,” Baugess says.
Decorating after Thanksgiving does seem to be an acceptable time for many, as it gives Thanksgiving its due appreciation. Thanksgiving is a widely celebrated national holiday, but it is often overshadowed by Christmas. By holding off on the mistletoe and holly for a few weeks in November, you can celebrate Thanksgiving before moving into the special time of Christmas.
Many famous national holiday traditions also happen after Thanksgiving. As Bauguess said, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has the large Santa balloon signifying the start of Christmas trailing at the end of the procession. The famous Rockefeller tree in New York isn’t put up and lit until after Thanksgiving, too.
Overall, the heated debate over when the right time to decorate Christmas is still undecided. Whether you like to deck the halls at the start of November or you prefer to save the Yuletide spirit until after Thanksgiving, you should decorate however makes you happy. No matter when your Christmas spirit emerges, Christmas is still the most magical time of year.
