The late fall to early winter season always brings around a heated debate: when is the “right time” to start celebrating Christmas? This “turkey versus tinsel” debate usually starts on November 1st, after some people immediately trade in their jack-o-lanterns for Christmas wreaths–I wholeheartedly agree with those people. I am a strong believer that Christmas starts the day after Halloween, so I have experienced a lot of hate from “Thanksgiving first” supporters. No matter what holiday you choose to side with, it’s clear that Thanksgiving is a holiday, and Christmas is a season.

If you’re like me and 27% of American adults according to Yahoo, then the thought of putting up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving has passed fills you with joy. Christmas is the time when many people start to experience a feeling of nostalgia, so what’s the problem with starting a little early? Most of the time, getting a head start is simply easier–especially because unloading decorations from the attic or storage room can take such a long time. 

Some argue about how disrespectful it is to the Thanksgiving holiday to completely disregard it and skip right to Christmas. However, they don’t understand that decorating early is not an act of neglecting Thanksgiving, but rather a way for people to reminisce on the joyful feeling from their childhood. In an article from The Bison, Tiffany Metts explains that decorating early is not meant to overshadow Thanksgiving, but instead extend the Christmas season.

The wonderful feeling Christmas brings each year is no shock. According to Psychologist Deborah Serani, Christmas creates a neurological shift that produces happiness as it takes us out of our normal routines. Serani later adds that Christmas spikes dopamine, which is a feel-good hormone. 

Psychoanalyst Steve McKeown states that because the world is full of stress and anxiety, people like to connect to things that make them happy. Christmas decorations bring people back to their magical childhood excitement. 

Additionally, many people believe that 25 days of December is not enough time to cross off everything on your Christmas bucket list. In fact, there are far more activities to do for the Christmas season than for the Thanksgiving holiday. Allowing yourself more time to do them is no crime.

Unfortunately, the rest of the winter season cannot top the joyful feeling the Christmas season exudes. As Katie Bingham-Smith says in an article from Momtastic, seasons pass too quickly, and she wants to savor Christmas for as long as possible before a long, “non-sparkly” winter begins. This aligns with my opinion perfectly–Christmas is filled with so much happiness, but once it’s time to take down the lights… it’s just dark and cold all throughout January and February. 

Those who celebrate Christmas early do it because it makes them happy, whether that be listening to Christmas music or decorating their home. Even if early celebrations don’t bring you satisfaction, it doesn’t mean you can be a scrooge to people over such a holly jolly holiday, especially because some people may need that boost of happiness throughout these cold few months.

All in all, this holiday debate is silly. Everyone should do what makes them happy, and whatever brings them the most holiday cheer. The real problem isn’t whether one side is right or wrong, it’s the negativity people spread all over others’ happiness just because they disagree. So whether you decide to celebrate Christmas or Thanksgiving first, I wish you happy holidays since it truly is the most wonderful time of the year.