As the pumpkins rot and the wind speeds up, most people expect fall decorations to cover the streets. Instead, the warm light of Christmas trees shines through windows and the smell of peppermint fills the air.
Every year, stores start off the Christmas season in November by placing an abundance of candy canes on the shelves before Thanksgiving even crosses people’s minds.
“[Traditionally,] you wait for the groundhog to appear [before celebrating spring],” history teacher Christopher Foster said. “When Mariah Carey rises in December, then they should [begin celebrating].”
Many disagree on whether or not Christmas decorating early takes away the excitement of Christmas, but some believe that celebrating early adds to the magic.
“I think it actually puts us in the spirit of Christmas by celebrating so early,” junior David Morales-Simon said. “[When] you hear Christmas music all around, [it] evokes good feelings in you, and it gets you ready for the 25th.”
Some families do not celebrate Thanksgiving due to the English colonial history behind it. Many Hispanic families begin decorating earlier than others since Thanksgiving does not serve as a part of their background and culture.
“We’re not white, so we don’t really have that tradition to get together and have a big turkey [and] gravy [and] all that stuff,” Morales-Simon said. “The equivalent to that was just, we make a lot of tamales and give them out to people we know, but we don’t really get together.”
Celebrating Christmas a month or two earlier opens more opportunities and time to enjoy the many magical and fun events.
“My favorite part about celebrating early is definitely decorating, listening to Christmas music,” Morales-Simon said. “[I also enjoy] brainstorming ideas [of] presents to [gift to] people.”
Christmas marks the most magical time of the year for many people, and the family traditions that many cherish deserve the extra time.
“[My mom and I] like putting up the Christmas tree, and we have an elf on the shelf,” sophomore Naila Sandoval said. “[We] played this game where we hide the elf, [and] we have to find it each day, then we just take turns hiding it.”
