OPINION: Folks, it’s okay to celebrate Christmas in November
Courtesy of Holy Family Lamp Post
As a kid, I loved everything about Christmas. I binge-watched movies like “The Polar Express” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” on repeat, I blasted “Jingle Bell Rock” and other holiday bangers on the boombox, I created and consumed gingerbread houses, and I decorated trees every year from top to bottom in ornaments. While my die-hard habits have mellowed over the years, I still find it nice when this time of year rolls around.
Lately, I have found myself engaging in the festive traditions earlier and earlier. Though I always thought this was a widely accepted practice, it appears that not all may agree with my early bird ways, especially when they encroach upon other celebrations such as Halloween and Thanksgiving. To quell these dissenters, I will seek to prove definitively why observing Christmas customs early, in November, is not only acceptable but admirable.
Firstly, psychology has demonstrated time and time again that decorating earlier can make a person feel happier, calmer, and more connected. According to psychologist Deborah Serani, who was interviewed by Today.com, Christmas decorations create a neurological change that releases dopamine, a hormone controlling pleasure. This, in turn, stimulates happiness.
Additionally, as stated by HuffPost, hanging up lights and setting up a tree are activities that can relieve stress and distract from negativity in one's life. They provide a sense of control to the decorator, which can be comforting in uncertain times. Often, decorating traditions are associated with nostalgic memories of good times, which people may want to revisit earlier.
That being said, it may not be advisable for all to engage in this habit, as it may trigger dark memories and negativity for some. If people have had traumatic childhoods or are in mourning, celebrating for a greater amount of time can be worse for their mental health.
Moreover, social science has shown that homeowners will judge a person’s level of sociability and openness by their house’s exterior, and these perceptions are heavily influenced by visible Christmas decorations. A 1989 study conducted by the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that participants considered such decor as “a cue that [those inside] were friendly and cohesive.” Isolated individuals can utilize early decorating to draw attention to themselves and signal that they are sociable to their neighbors.
It isn’t just refurbishing for the holidays that is beneficial. Other traditional activities, including listening to jolly music and watching cozy movies have their positive effects as well.
Music Theory Professor Ronald Borczon of Biola University explains that Christmas tunes provide a mental and physical sensation of peace and can be therapeutic. Songs are often in a major key, familiar, and close to home. Similar to decorations, they give a sense of escapism to the listener.
A report on global trends by Deseret News indicates it is rather popular to hop aboard the bandwagon a little early regarding Christmas music. The music platform Spotify found that this genre of song spiked around November 13th in America and November 1st globally. With so many options to choose from—classic hymns, upbeat pop, and slow ballads, to name a few—people may feel the urge to get started prematurely.
In addition, holiday movies are another element of Christmas that can be explored earlier on. As outlined by an article from Fielding Graduate University, they encapsulate all the positives about the winter season—a feeling of nostalgia, a desire for escapism, a need for social interaction and togetherness, and a relief from stress. By losing oneself in the world of a cozy film, we can abandon our real-world problems and suspend our disbelief for a fragment of time; think of it as self-care.
Despite these many pros, there remain skeptics to this proposal.
I surveyed select members of the Catlin Gabel Upper School student body on the topic. The originally sixty-respondent survey had a response rate of exactly 75%, making the data collected reliable enough to be used. Ultimately, the group would consist of 35 students who did celebrate Christmas, five who did not, and five who sometimes did.
Surprisingly, I received extremely mixed results. Regardless of which way they leaned, however, most had strong opinions on the matter.
When asked to select the earliest time it was appropriate to decorate for Christmas, a significant majority of people, 57.8%, identified the period from December 1st to 15th as such. Mirroring this answer, 53.3% of participants deemed the same period to be the earliest time it was appropriate to engage with Christmas media (music, films, and books).
I then requested that students rank their agreement with the statement that celebrating early was acceptable, with 1 and 5 representing “Strongly Disagree” and “Strongly Agree,” respectively.
The final chart shows participants’ responses, ranging from 1 to 5.
Courtesy of Google Forms
Above is a graph demonstrating the overall distribution of support for this assertion; clearly, only about 20% of respondents found it understandable, with an overwhelming 48.9% (nearly half) disagreeing. Interestingly, most of the dissidents had reasoning behind their rating. For the purpose of upholding anonymity, all quoted students will be left unnamed.
One junior believed that early observance of the holiday caused December to be less special. In their words, “Part of the fun of Christmas is the buildup of excitement and the countdown to Christmas Day. I think it makes December a month to look forward to.”
While this may be true, in my opinion, the anticipation of Christmas is heightened when it begins two months in advance since there is more time to experience this thrill. Additionally, starting small in November can make the transition into the festive season more natural.
A second junior warned of the consequences of untimely celebration, pointing out that it would mean higher spending and inflated earnings among companies seeking a profit. They remarked that giving the chance for “large corporations to get an immense amount of money from consumers,” more than is required, would oppose the holiday’s “core ideals of charity and support of those in need.”
Even so, shopping for Christmas early could actually be advantageous for those wanting to pre-purchase presents, stock up on merchandise, and nab good deals. Besides, simply moving the time of holiday buying up the calendar does not necessarily imply getting more items, it just means getting them sooner.
Finally, a third student emphasized the importance of observing the occasion correctly in its religious context, acknowledging that “Christmas is celebrating the birth of Jesus, and celebrating his birthday a month early isn’t celebrating it in the correct way.” For this reason, Christians may not want to commemorate the day prematurely, regardless of the psychology behind it, in order to respect its origins and significance.
On the other hand, supporters of early festivities provided justification related to their personal enjoyment of the holiday. As one freshman declared, “Christmas season does not have a time limit!” Likewise, a senior replied they agreed with the statement because they “love the Christmas spirit so much, and it makes [them] happy to celebrate such a joyous time.”
Furthermore, some took the stance that celebrating before December did not impact others, and was not anyone else’s business. “Let people do what they want if it isn’t affecting others or themselves in a negative way,” said an anonymous freshman. “I think if it makes people happy, I don’t care,” added a junior.
Several participants had a neutral viewpoint, conceding that preparing for the holiday in advance is acceptable; it only becomes inappropriate when a person observes Christmas before the true day arrives. In the words of an upperclassmen, “outright celebrating Christmas early is a diabolical act…BUT getting ready for it earlier is no issue.”
Overall, the results from my form indicate that welcoming the occasion in November remains, for the most part, unaccepted by the CGS community. Hopefully, this truth will be subject to change in the years to come. Nevertheless, the behavior is not without its previously-established perks, such as increasing happiness, fostering nostalgia, calming stress, distracting from negativity, offering a sense of control, and sending a message of sociability to peers and neighbors.
So the next time you want to pull up Mariah Carey’s discography ahead of time, don’t feel bad—rest assured that you are doing yourself a mental and social favor. Then again, that’s just the way I see it. As one survey taker summed up nicely, “Whatever floats your boat!”