Celebrate each holiday — Christmas can wait

There’s nothing like some healthy debate to keep your mind sharp. But some topics, it seems, are more touchy than others. Summer or winter, ketchup or ranch, whether pineapple belongs on pizza –– sure, these are all valid questions, but the hottest debate this time of year, in that awkward limbo between Halloween and Thanksgiving, is this: is it too early to celebrate Christmas? 

Christmas needs to be celebrated only after Thanksgiving and not a second before. Just as importantly, the celebration should not begin a second later. This beloved holiday needs to be cherished in this specific time frame for three reasons. 

Thanksgiving deserves its moment too. Many don’t regard it as a real holiday, which is obviously a matter of personal taste. However, in order to live more in the moment, we need to take things one day at a time. Thanksgiving celebrates everything beautiful about family and love, so what’s not to celebrate? This is even more important as days get colder and shorter, when our spirits run low and there’s less to look forward to.  

Not to mention, if we celebrate Christmas too early, all its magic dissipates. Have you ever had one of your favorite foods too much, to the point where you’re sick of it? That’s how I feel whenever my sister turns on “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” in the middle of July. By the time late November rolls around and the holiday spirit should be peaking, I’m already burnt out. The feeling isn’t new and shiny as it should be, but rather overdone and exhausting. 

All that is to say that Christmas belongs in its season. The holiday is an aesthetic in itself –– snow falling, crisp air, cozy nights. Celebrating Christmas in 60-degree weather is like celebrating an engagement before he’s popped the question. It doesn’t fit and cheapens the meaning of the moment. 

In short, Christmas absolutely deserves all the hype it gets, just at the right time. Thanksgiving is important too, and when we celebrate each holiday in its season, it feels even more magical because everyone is sharing in the joyful spirit together, the way we should be.