Christmas is never a quiet holiday. People are not afraid to sing out their joy as the Christmas season closes in on Dec. 25. It seems like everywhere you go, Christmas music is playing, whether it’s in the supermarket, the doctor’s office or even the local bus. White lights line the trees downtown and Christmas trees start popping up in everyone’s windows. We all love the build up to Christmas, but it seems like every year, the build up starts earlier. Before Thanksgiving rolls around, people are already playing Christmas music and stores are lining the racks with festive decorations. The Christmas season has started to begin too early. Thanksgiving gets lost in the build up of the winter holiday and the special feeling of Christmas gets taken away. The Christmas season can also be stressful for people and if we rush the build up, it may stress people out, leading to a less joyous time.
I have always had a rule: no Christmas music until after Thanksgiving has passed. Nonetheless, there are people who have listened to Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song” since Halloween. For me, Christmas is the best time of the year and yes, I could listen to Christmas music all year round and decorate my house with Christmas trinkets to feel that joy year round, but what makes Christmas so special is that it only happens once a year. Things are more enjoyable if they happen less frequently and if we start the build up to Christmas months before the holiday, by the 25th, it won’t feel as special.
Since the Christmas season is starting earlier, it may cause more stress for some people. You may think that with a longer season it should cause less stress for people, but it can make people start to stress out earlier than they need to. Now with people buying presents earlier and earlier, it will mean that other people will have to start shopping early who may not have the time or money yet to start shopping. All holidays can bring stress upon people, but Christmas can be the most stressful. It is a time when people stress about money, what gift they should get someone, whether the toy their child wanted so badly will be out of stock and whether or not someone will like the gift that you give them. However, the primary source of the stress exists as a result of the build up to Christmas.
So for those who are blasting Christmas music and putting up their Christmas tree weeks before Christmas, don’t rush it, Thanksgiving is pretty special too. You’re not going to miss out on Christmas if you wait two extra weeks and I promise you that it will be more satisfying if you wait. Christmas is a special holiday that should not be taken for granted, but by rushing the build up, we are doing just that by celebrating the holiday before the season truly begins. The Christmas season will feel more special if you wait until December to start celebrating, so don’t rush the most wonderful time of the year.
Leave a Reply