It feels like each holiday season is getting longer with pumpkin spice in August and Christmas décor up before kids are done trick or treating.
Some local grocery stores and malls have been in the Christmas spirit since Nov. 1 or earlier. I went to Target during Halloween week to find no costumes left, no candy on sale and outdoor Christmas-themed lights in place of the usual Halloween items. Which sparks the issue, people are prioritizing decorations rather than actually celebrating the holiday.
The entire point of decorating is to be excited and celebrate the season that you are currently in — whether it is fall and Halloween décor or winter and Christmas lights. If we actively celebrate the next holiday before we celebrate the one that is currently happening, we are not truly living in the moment. It seems like people are so focused on what is coming next and how people can get their hands on the “new, must-have items of the season” that they forget the point of decorating in the first place.
Social media might be partially to blame for what is happening. People are becoming more easily influenced than ever. My entire social media feed was full of Christmas décor hauls, holiday themed drink recipes, “decorate with me’s” and Christmas music before I got through Halloween weekend. It is starting to get a little excessive. I am all about starting to celebrate the Holiday season in November, but Christmas decorations being up while kids are out trick or treating does not feel right to me. It ruins that Halloween magic that we used to feel as children.
It could also be another way for big corporations to make more money. By setting up months in advance and capitalizing on the marketing influencers offer, companies must be making so much more than if it were to only start selling Christmas themed items after Thanksgiving. Part of it has to be an impulse purchase as well. People are just excited to set up their Holiday decorations that when they see a cute gingerbread man pillow, they buy it — not remembering the two they already have shoved in boxes in the attic. According to Keter, the waste that is created around the holiday season increases by 25% compared to the rest of the year. This shows that people would rather purchase new popular items each year than save money by keeping decorations longer than one season.
Personally, my feelings change each year. It depends on how excited I am for the holiday season during that time. For example, my Christmas tree is already up in my apartment, but last year I waited until after Thanksgiving. Either way is fine as long as you do not get tired of the season. We should be able to enjoy the season we are in until the calendar says it is over. Not be forced to see all of the stores we shop at littered with the next holiday season.
Although the first day of November is too early for Santa to be plastered everywhere; there are always going to be people that claim Christmas décor out before Thanksgiving is over is still too early. However, I wholeheartedly believe that Thanksgiving is just a precursor to Christmas and it can be celebrated next to a lit-up tree. As long as people are still celebrating on the actual holiday that is plenty of room to fully celebrate fall and move onto the Holiday season.
