In America, Christmas is a holiday that was federally approved in 1870. The main purpose of Christmas is to celebrate the day Jesus Christ was born (December 25th). Amazingly, Christmas celebrations have dated back since Roman times and are celebrated worldwide.
Nowadays, it is normal to already see Christmas decorations being set up as early as November 1st. Christmas wreaths are already hanging on doors, Christmas trees are being bought, and inflatables are being placed in yards.
Why is this? What causes people to begin celebrating so early and when should we actually celebrate Christmas?
Most likely, the anticipated joy and fun that this holiday brings causes people to buy decorations for Christmas early. This can be seen by how many people start celebrating Christmas even by Halloween. However, what also may contribute to early celebration is a phenomenon known as “Christmas creep.” Essentially, this is where businesses attempt to get a head-start in Christmas sales since they are aware of the excitement people have for Christmas. Since many corporations do this, it only reinforces people to celebrate the Christmas spirit right after or even before Thanksgiving.
I believe that these factors have led to Christmas becoming a season instead of a specific day. This may explain a range of different dates for when people celebrate Christmas. However, in order to test this, I asked some people when Christmas should be celebrated.
Luke Phillips, a current sophomore in the class of 2026, stated, “I like the day, but it should be a couple days longer in order to capture the true meaning of Christmas.”
In contrast, Leo Gabara, a junior in the class of 2025, declared, “Christmas should only be celebrated on Christmas Day.”
These differences in opinions display that it is valid to reason that many people have different personal opinions for when people should start celebrating Christmas. Personally, I find Christmas being celebrated after Halloween and even Thanksgiving too early.
Either way, no matter when people start to celebrate Christmas, it can be agreed that this holiday has had a great impact on our culture during the winter season.
