There are two types of people in this world: those who listen to Christmas music right after Halloween and those who listen right after Thanksgiving. Or perhaps you are a lunatic, someone with a slight dash of insanity who prefers to begin Rocking Around the Christmas Tree in July. Some people stand firm in their practice of listening to Christmas songs only after Thanksgiving. According to them, it is blasphemy to do otherwise. As someone who does not have a strong opinion on the topic, I can see both sides. Why would you only reserve a month for Christmas jams when you could have two? However—why would anyone disrespect Thanksgiving as a holiday by skipping straight to Christmas? 

I understand what the logistical argument could be here: Thanksgiving is a day, but Christmas is a season. You choose when you want that season to begin, and some people opt to begin as soon as possible . For some individuals, the stroke of midnight on October 31st starts up the bells to Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas, and there’s no turning back (before Halloween should be considered a crime). Others, however, need a break between Halloween festivities and Christmas traditions. Some people refuse to even listen to a song with Christmas bells until after eating Thanksgiving turkey, and delay putting up the festive decor of the classic Christmas tree. Thoughts of pumpkin and the appreciation of orange leaves linger until Thanksgiving—Christmas can’t begin before the winter breeze seeps through the windows and the Santa Claus craze engulfs the world. 

What is the reasoning and why is there such a division over the topic? I find society’s fascination with when to start playing holiday music quite amusing. The holiday season is a time for smiles and joy. The debate would be vastly different if a Thanksgiving genre of music existed. I hope you, the reader, find humor as I do in some people’s passionate distaste of the timing of Christmas music. I like to compare these people to the Grinch because they want to appreciate Christmas music only when it’s convenient to them. This debate has caused an awkward time between Halloween and Thanksgiving to arise. We are currently in that fun in-between. I created a poll on Instagram to gauge Southwestern students’ opinions and forty-eight people responded.  The option of ‘after Thanksgiving’ won with thirty-three votes. This amount surpassed the fifteen people who voted ‘before.’ 

I have noticed lights and Christmas wreaths in Georgetown’s square, but no decorations at all on Southwestern campus. The delay in Decking the Halls of campus aligns with students’ stance in this heated debate surrounding Christmas music.