Head-to-Head: Keep Christmas Consecrated

Let me preface this article by saying that I love Christmas. I love decorating the tree with sparkling tinsel and lights, buying presents in crowded malls, cooking enormous meals, and belting out Christmas carols. I’m certainly no Grinch, and Christmas music is an integral part of the holiday season. However, we should only begin playing Christmas music in December. It’s not yet time to deck the halls with the sounds of Christmas.

I won’t even touch the people who start playing Christmas music in October, as they are obviously suffering from some kind of deep-seated confusion that causes them to mix up months. There is simply no other reason for their sinful musical behavior. However, I’ll happily contend with those who claim that November is an appropriate time for Christmas music.

First of all, when we start blasting “Jingle Bells” in early November, we’re ignoring a key American holiday: Thanksgiving. Of course, it has a highly problematic history rooted in colonization and genocide, but it’s now more about eating lots of food and yelling at Aunt Linda once you’ve had a few drinks. I want to eat pumpkin pie and enjoy the overly loud arguments without worrying about a deafening rendition of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” preventing me from hearing about how Uncle Bill forgot to clean out the gutters. Thanksgiving is a quintessentially American celebration, and we shouldn’t let the “Christmas creep” overwhelm our Thanksgiving jubilee.

By playing Christmas music as early as the beginning of November, we’re not only doing Thanksgiving a disservice but also opening ourselves up to the horrors of becoming bored with Christmas music before the big day itself. I can listen to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” on repeat for a full month, but anything longer than that tends to be a bit much. I want to enjoy the dulcet tones of Gene Autry’s “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” while I open presents without feeling fatigued.

In addition, according to British clinical psychologist Linda Blair, listening to Christmas music too early in the season can stimulate feelings of holiday stress. In an article with CBS News, Blair said that Christmas music reminds people of their mile-long to-do lists in the midst of the busy holiday season. Rather than embracing the Christmas spirit and singing loud for all to hear, they feel overwhelmed and would rather let out a scream of frustration. While a little bit of Christmas music can easily lift a person’s mood, months of Christmas music can start to wear on them.

Finally, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. If we play Christmas music too early, we are defiling the sanctity of the holiday. It’s meant to be a special time set apart from the rest of the dreary calendar year. We should honor the inviolability of Christmas by respecting December as the proper time to play Christmas music. Stay frosty, my fellow snowmen.