By Jess Sorentino
Thanksgiving is over, and now it is Christmastime. Not that it wasn’t already Christmastime about two weeks ago on the radio stations, but now there are no other holidays in Christmas’ way.
Some people argue radios start playing Christmas music too early and others argue stores are decorated prematurely. Christmastime is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, with all of the holiday decorations, family celebrations and presents, but is Christmas getting played out before December 25? When should Christmas officially begin?
1.When Radios Begin to Play Christmas Music
As soon as Halloween was over, songs like Rudolph and Deck the Halls were incorporated into certain station’s playlists. Don’t get me wrong I love Rudolph and I have nothing against Deck the Halls in December, but in October I find it seriously disturbing that people would begin Decking their Halls. Because then they would be fa-la-la-la-la-ing for two full months. That’s enough Holly to make Santa sick.
2. When Stores Decorate and Santa Visits Malls
These two go hand-in-hand and have also moved their start date from around Thanksgiving time to after Halloween time. I went to the mall about two weeks ago and every store already had decorations for Christmas set up and the Santa Station was also already set up and put to use. Why? Why do children who luckily still believe in Santa not find it weird that he is in their mall seven weeks before Christmas? Doesn’t he have toys to make in the workshop with the elves? That’s always what I thought.
But stores – even small towns like Newark, Delaware – have the trees covered in Christmas lights and wreaths on the lampposts and fake snow in the store windows. It’s awesome to see, but not when people are still occasionally walking around without jackets. Plus, it messes with your head because the decorations make you think you’re closer to ending your semester when you really have half of it left.
3. When the Rockettes Perform at the Thanksgiving Parade
I’m not sure if this is because I’m from New York or if it’s because my lifelong goal has always been to be a Rockette, but on Thanksgiving when those dancers do their kickline in their little present costumes, that signifies Christmastime is here for me. I know it happens on Thanksgiving day which stinks a little bit, but the Rockettes only perform during the Holiday season, and so I have no choice but to accept the start of Christmas at this point.
4. Black Friday
Black Friday signifies the hectic beginning of crazy shopping. For Christmas, people need to buy lots of presents. I think Black Friday would be a fair indication that it is Christmastime. Thanksgiving and Halloween are both over at this point, and rightfully so, it’s the next holiday – in this case Christmas’ – time to shine. Black Friday is also at the tail-end of November, so starting Christmas on Black Friday leaves us with just over a month of Christmas, not closer to two months.
5. December 1
ABC’s 25 Days of Christmas begins on December 1. Christmas takes place in December. This one honestly and obviously makes the most sense. You have the full month of December to decorate, take in everyone else’s decorations, visit Santa at the mall, get your shopping done and listen to Mariah Carrey sing about how you’re all she wants for Christmas.
You can watch ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas too, where they play a different Christmas movie every day until Christmas. That’s 25 movies about the birth of Jesus. The only people this stinks for are those early holiday lovers, who don’t get their movies until a month after they start celebrating the holiday.
Think about it. It seems like an easy way to play out parts of the festive holiday with such early beginnings of celebration. Radio stations stop playing Christmas music halfway through Christmas day. What’s that say about everything? They get sick of it too! Unfortunately we can’t put an official start date on a holiday season, but I think it should be commonly agreed that closer to Halloween and Thanksgiving is way too early to start celebrating Christmas. What do you think?
