As vibrant orange and crimson leaves fall, cold, crisp winds sweep them along the sidewalk. Sweaters, jeans, and hoodies are now in stock in every store. Some Jack-o-lanterns still sit on porches, slowly rotting. Students are eagerly waiting for Thanksgiving Break, with just two more weeks. It’s the peak of autumn. But down the road, your neighbor is putting Christmas lights on the roof and dragging a newly bought tree into the living room.
Somehow, early Christmas decorations aren’t a rare sight in the middle of November. For about a decade, families have started decorating for Christmas earlier and earlier, changing society’s outlook on the proper time to officially begin celebrating and creating an annual debate.
While it is unknown when the controversy arose, Christmas decorations have been a topic of discussion since stores started pushing holiday sales months before the holiday season. The commercialized industry usually starts advertising the Christmas season as early as September. Christmas Music advertisements on Spotify begin at the end of August, if not a couple of weeks earlier. Stores send toy magazines through the mail around Nov. 1. Arguably, worst of all, malls make room to display an enormous selection of Christmas decorations next to the Halloween ones.
According to a Statistica 2023 U.S survey, 41% of consumers believe that September is too early for retailers and websites to showcase holiday products, and another 23% believe October is too early. The survey goes on to say one third of US consumers “…felt it was still too early for retailers and e-retailers to show off holiday season products in the first two weeks of September.”
Christmas has become such a consumer-driven holiday, with the ongoing lists of gifts needing purchase, and setting up decorations creates an excuse to start early on the festivities. The sooner the decorations are up, the sooner time can be spent filling weeks with other Christmas activities. Baking cookies, listening to Christmas music, and watching Christmas movies, parties, postcards, and shopping are all on the itinerary.
On top of that, families are busier now than they were decades ago, with parents working full-time jobs and kids in constant extracurricular activities, finding time to decorate close to the Christmas season is next to impossible. Traditions have changed over time, so starting in the less chaotic month of November appears to be the solution to maximize the Christmas celebration.
“… you should do it in November, but after Thanksgiving. In reality, who’s got time for that?… You got stuff to do,” Anand Guisenhuslar (9) said.
Because starting early is necessary in such a busy world, it begs the question: When is it too early?
“You can’t celebrate [too] early, but after Thanksgiving, it’s fair game. The day after is the right way, but if you do December first, that’s alright too,” Hunter Rohlfer (9) said.
Other students agree, saying that after Thanksgiving is the only downtime their family has.
“I’d say the first week of December…I feel like that’s like when we’re not busy,” Andrew Myers (10) said.
Americans seem to agree. According to a 2021 YouGov survey, 24% of Americans decorate their homes the day after Thanksgiving, and another 23% decorate between Thanksgiving and Dec.1. However, a concerning number is the amount of Americans who decorate even earlier. 9% still decorate early Nov., and a shocking 3% decorate within a couple of days of Halloween.
A survey done by Highlands students showed when they decorate for Christmas, providing a more personal insight. 42.4% decorate for Christmas starting Dec. 1, followed by 28.8% who decorate during Thanksgiving and the days after, 23.7% who decorate between Nov. 1 and Thanksgiving, and finally 5.1% who decorate before November.
The divide tends to fall between the days following up to Thanksgiving, or the days coming after. Some students believe decorating must strictly come after Thanksgiving; after all, is its very own holiday.
“If you decorate before Thanksgiving, it takes the focus off of Thanksgiving and rushes you into Christmas,” Teirah Sims (11) said.
Other students view it differently, commenting that Christmas decorations are just part of the Thanksgiving festivities.
“I actually put mine up right before Thanksgiving, so when people come over, they can see all of my decorations…” Lucy Delaney (11) said.
Generally, there seems to be a consensus on decorating during the weeks surrounding Thanksgiving break, and that anything before feels dauntingly early. While some disagree, decorating in late October and early November isn’t necessary. It takes away from the actual holiday, making the celebration less exclusive to the season. But no matter when you put your decorations up, Christmas is such a special holiday to celebrate.
