IS IT EVER TOO EARLY FOR HOLIDAY CHEER?

Christmas is a joyous time, which everyone who celebrates it can enjoy. However, it is often hated when people like myself start to celebrate the holiday as soon as Halloween is over.

As soon as the calendar hits November, I pull out my Pentatonix Christmas albums and start to sing many songs that are correlated with the season. And yes, I am often asked why I start celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving has even arrived. 

The first reason is my absolute joy of the music that comes with the season. When I give this reason people often are confused, because of the same songs they listen to every season. For example, the general public listens to the song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” sung by, say Dean Martin, or other famous artists many decades ago. The song is great on its own, but can get really old really fast.

That’s why I listen to the newer version by recorded by Idina Menzel and Michael Bublé, because there’s more personality in their voices and the notes are nicer to my ears. I often do something along those lines with all of my favorite Christmas songs, so that I always enjoy them when I get to listen. There are many a capella groups or cover artists with Christmas albums, so you, too, can add some variety to your playlists this season.

I often hear that Christmas music is overplayed on the radios during this time, but is that any different than how it usually is? Whenever a new song is released that is very popular, stations (including streaming services) will overplay the song to the point where you’re tired of hearing it.

So, what exactly is the difference? We listen to these songs over and over again for 10 months out of the year with nearly no one complaining about it, but for two months we hear these holiday songs and suddenly it’s a huge problem that’s unbearable. 

Another huge complaint I often see is that as soon as Halloween is over, stores immediately start stocking their shelves with Christmas decorations and you can hear Mariah Carey singing “All I Want for Christmas is You.” While, yes, it’s a little off-putting, let’s think about it from a business standpoint: People don’t really decorate their homes and living rooms for Thanksgiving, they usually just buy a bunch of food for their big dinner. As a retailer, it would just make sense to attempt to make a profit off the two holidays at once (and these items are mostly in two different sections of the store). 

Overall, it’s a matter of preference if you want to start Christmas early or not.

Yes, there will be some people who will say that it’s wrong to do so, with Thanksgiving still to come. That’s okay, too – they just have different opinions about the Christmas season and when to start celebrating it. Other people just want a reason to be happy and the Christmas season is full of it, and so are the memories that come with those thoughts. Christmas is a time to be happy and Thanksgiving is a day where we look back and see what we’re thankful for.

How about we be thankful that so many people are so happy and enjoying something that makes them smile?