As the month of October comes to a close, more and more Christmas merchandise is being stocked, before Thanksgiving has even passed.

The media, as well as large brand companies, are already surrounding us with “Holiday Spirit” before we even finish fall.

Some have begun to wonder why it seems as though, every year, Christmas is coming sooner than the year before.

English teacher Kari Beery theorized the reason for this current dilemma. She said, “Christmas can be pushed too early because I think the idea isn’t necessarily about Christmas, but it’s about materialism. Therefore, there is a lot of pressure to purchase representations of Christmas.”

The perceived shift of the holiday’s meaning is causing the increased abundance of Christmas advertisements. The bombarding commercials and decorations on television and in the mall take away from the special joy that comes with Christmas.

Beery said, “My kids get really excited about Christmas and they want, want, want. However, in my opinion, although I love celebrating the holiday, it distorts the true meaning.”

It just seems that other holidays are forgotten due to the push for Christmas.

Hall monitor Rosa Antonelli agrees that Christmas is rushed too soon. “I mean, it’s [the end] of October and they have Christmas decorations already out,” she said.

According to Antonelli, she has already seen Christmas trees, decorations, and everything related to Christmas in stores.

Christmas ads have already been sent out, like the Toy Book from Target, and the Hallmark Countdown to Christmas which began on Oct. 20.

Beery said, “At the stores, it is a collision of holidays. At Hobby Lobby, there is a Halloween aisle, and then a Christmas aisle, and even other upcoming holidays. They are all together all at once, which can seem overwhelming.”

The rush of the Christmas season casts a shadow on the current holidays.

Beery said, “I personally like each distinct season, so I like to celebrate the meanings of each holiday when they occur. It’s fun to celebrate Halloween and of course, Thanksgiving, to be thankful for what you have. With that idea, you can still continue the thankfulness into Christmas.”

In regards to when it is appropriate to begin putting out decorations, many have similar ideas.

Senior Liz Corpus said, “Christmas decorations should be put out after Thanksgiving because for me, in my house, we put our Christmas tree up right after then.”

For some, however, the holiday season could start after Halloween.
Beery said, “I do come from an odd family where my aunt and mom put up a dozen Christmas trees in their house, so technically, my Aunt will begin decorating right after Halloween.”

Preparations for the holiday may be overwhelming, causing the increased push for Christmas earlier in the year.

According to Corpus, since people like getting their presents early and begin planning far ahead of time to avoid the stress of last minute shopping and decorating.

Despite the rush for Christmas from the media, there are some people who don’t mind the fact that the season begins early.

According to Antonelli, everyone has a different answer to when the Christmas season should begin depending on how much time they need to prepare.

Corpus said, “Everyone goes all out for Christmas. You have family coming from different states who you’ve never met, so it can be stressful.”

The overall theme that many seem to be asking for is to let the current holiday be celebrated without the distraction of other upcoming celebrations.

The Christmas season is just being rushed before other holidays are finished, which for some can be upsetting.

Everyone has their own opinion on the holiday season, but there seems to be too much interference from the media as well as stores to skip over fall and jump into Christmas.

It is time to put a halt on the rush and not give in to media influences on the holiday season.

Antonelli said, “They need to give it a break.”