Christmas should start the day after Halloween
November 4, 2016
October 32, the day after Halloween. Kids gorge themselves sick on the candy they received from the escapade of trick-or-treating the night before as post-Halloween-depression sets in. Although the spooky season has ended, the fun does not. The holidays have just begun.
Devils and witches trade in their costumes for Santa suits, as Christmas decorations replace the jack-o-lanterns and skeletons scattered amongst some yards. A number of certain individuals protest the holiday spirit by voicing their criticism about the holiday being celebrated too early, which only leads me to believe that souls like theirs were packed away with the Halloween decorations.
I cannot even begin to fathom why anybody would be bitter about the Christmas season starting too early. Does it offend you? Does joy offend you? If I had it my way, instead of the 12 days of Christmas, it would be the 12 months of Christmas. The holidays happen too quickly for anyone with a busy life to even keep up. The short month following Thanksgiving that leads up to my favorite holiday is not long enough for me pack in the long list of Christmas-related responsibilities, which inhibits the ability to truly relax and soak in the season.
I can only assume that the soulless scrooges that detest the early start to the Christmas season must have had a tragic event in their life that resulted in their lack of Christmas spirit. Perhaps they suffered from a fatal coconut allergy, never allowing them to enjoy snowballs: a must-have in every child’s stocking. Maybe they were a victim of poor knees, never allowing them to go sledding on Christmas eve. Either way, their bitterness is the only obstacle between them and enjoying the Christmas party in early November.
If this describes you, I want to apologize for the fact that you hate happiness. I’d also like to apologize for the Christmas carols I will be playing on October 32nd, the day after Halloween. Please forgive me for the bothersome Christmas lights that will be hung on my house long before the snow falls. You can just ignore the invite to my Christmas party which, by the way, is the first Friday in November.
Ollie • Nov 14, 2016 at 10:28 am
I don’t find too much objectionable to starting the festivities and jolly season after Halloween, but keep in mind that not everybody celebrates Christmas and that it can get tiring for people who don’t to constantly hear about Christmas as soon as Halloween is over.
Kevin • Nov 11, 2016 at 10:56 am
I feel a little strange commenting on this article, as I don’t know you and live nowhere near South Dakota. I stumbled upon this article while searching for articles on the same topic. So forgive me for randomly commenting on your article.
I’m sure I don’t speak for most of the scrooges you mention, but I find the premature celebration of Christmas objectionable because it sidelines the season of Advent. Properly speaking, the season of Christmastide begins the night of December 24 and lasts at least until January 5 (your 12 days of Christmas) if not longer. Thus, in the liturgical calendar, the celebration of Christ’s birth is anticipated and prepared for a number of weeks before Christmas Day, and then celebrated for a period of time thereafter.
The secular Christmas season, however, is determined by economics. It begins as early as people are willing to buy Christmas presents and decorations, and ends as soon as their desire to do so is exhausted. So the elves and reindeer make their appearance on November 1, but are probably long gone by the time New Years’ rolls around, even though it’s still technically Christmastide.
There’s really nothing wrong with contrived jollity. Since the actual date of Christ’s birth is unknown, there’s nothing wrong with celebrating His coming at any time of the year; indeed, why not celebrate the Incarnation year-round? But however genuinely we may celebrate the commercial Christmas season, it’s a manufactured season intended to make us spend money. Advent and Christmastide can’t sell candy and toys, nor can the Son of God bring in revenue like Santa Claus can.