While millions of children, teens, and young adults’ stomachs are filled with heaps of candy after Halloween, I am already dreaming of Christmas and all the holiday festivities. Many believe that the appropriate time to decorate for the holidays is once the turkey is eaten and after Thanksgiving; however, after Halloween is the ideal time to decorate for an accumulation of reasons. First off, hardly anyone decorates for Thanksgiving; twenty-five days is not long enough to celebrate the holidays. Putting up the lights and decorations is one of my favorite parts of the holidays, so why not do it as soon as possible?
The essence of Thanksgiving is solely to give thanks to our loved ones for everything they do, not to begin decorating and celebrating the holiday. Who buys mass amounts of decorations specifically for Thanksgiving, like inflatables or seasonal lights for the outside of someone’s house? Decorating for Thanksgiving feels unusual and strange, especially because it is so close to another highly decorated holiday: Christmas. Henceforth, decorating after Halloween is the correct way to go; it gives people more time to fully appreciate and celebrate the holidays as opposed to only having a month after the end of Thanksgiving. Senior Zia Baluyot agreed, “Decorating after Halloween allows people to not procrastinate on their holiday shopping and Christmas decorating.”
The month of December is filled with an immense assortment of decorations, presents, and anticipation for the season, which oftentimes overshadow the time to decorate one’s house for the holidays. As friends and family are searching and racing to find the perfect gifts for their loved ones, they must also worry and stress about all the decorations that need to be placed, as well as buying their Christmas tree and putting it up. However, if those same friends and family choose to start decorating at the start of November, then they would only have to worry about getting their last-minute gifts in December. Senior Isaac Fuentes explained, “Christmas time should make people excited, but with how overwhelming the stores become during the season, it makes more sense to decorate earlier.” The stress of the season itself would decrease if decorating began in November rather than December, as it is the most appropriate and smart choice because of how busy everything becomes in the latter month.
If people started with their decorations earlier, it would get more and more people in a festive mood and bring a small glimpse of joy to everyone’s day. According to an article by Today entitled, “Christmas Decorating Early Makes You Happier, Science Says,” psychologists have proven that decorating early for the holidays does indeed improve one’s mood. Ultimately, if all the busy and stressed-out parents and teenagers were able to see the bright lights and decorations illuminating from the houses they pass on their way home from work or school, everyone would easily be in a better mood and start or end their day on a better note.
All in all, as an avid Christmas decorations lover who is set on getting my tree earlier and earlier every year, I believe decorating should begin once Halloween ends. It allows the world to celebrate one of the most festive seasons for a little longer; which can only bring about positive attitudes. Whether someone’s front yard in their house has five inflatables and bright lights all around (like mine) or only bright lights and one broken inflatable, it makes such a small difference that everyone around should follow. Imagine driving home from a stressful day and seeing hundreds of bright lights and cute inflatables along your block. How fun, right?
