Christmas is among the most celebrated holidays in the world. With festive music, decorations and delicious food that will bring back memories of childhood. People are more than ready to start the holiday season. But is rushing into the holidays a wise decision?

The first sign that Christmas is coming is the decorations. The second stores decide it’s time to put out all the Christmas trees, blow-ups and lights, is the second we hear the faint sound of Christmas bells in the distance. For most stores, this time is on October 1.

Some people believe that October 1 is not early enough. They reason that putting up elaborate Christmas decorations can take a long time. Some people invest in all kinds of lights, blowups, and signs. Since it takes them so long to put everything together, they believe that putting it up for a couple of weeks and then taking it down is not worth their labor. To solve this problem, they choose to set up their decorations earlier. This allows the decorations to be up longer, making it worth their time and effort. To decorate earlier, they need stores to put out decorations so they can buy them. 

Not everyone agrees with this idea though. Some people believe that October 1 is too early. They reason that putting decorations out in October glazes over Halloween and Thanksgiving. Halloween and Thanksgiving both have decorations and traditions of their own. Even though Christmas is much more popular, these two holidays are still celebrated and adored by many people. The people who still celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving believe that stores should hold off on putting decorations out until after Thanksgiving so that attention isn’t turned to Christmas too quickly. 

I believe Halloween and Thanksgiving are important, maybe not as important as Christmas, but still important. Many people grew up with the fun of Halloween and the gratitude of Thanksgiving. Taking that away would remove two key aspects of American culture. When it comes to decorations, I believe that stores should put out decorations for each holiday a month prior. This means Halloween decorations would be put out in September, Thanksgiving in October and Christmas in November. That way each holiday would have adequate preparation time. 

Another problem that arises when Christmas time is near is when to start listening to Christmas music. Christmas music was originally made to put people in the Christmas spirit. When people hear the music of Christmas, they are filled with excitement for the hot chocolate, gingerbread houses and gifts that are not too far away. 

For some, Christmas music is a joy that should be listened to year-round. They reason that Christmas music has gotten better over the years. Popular artists, like Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys and Ariana Grande, do covers of popular Christmas songs and give them modernized twists. These new covers are so enjoyable that people want to listen to them year-round.

Although, some people hate the idea of listening to Christmas music year-round. Listening to festive music during Christmas will bring them joy and excitement, but having to listen to it in mid-July can have the opposite effect. Some people find it annoying to hear Jingle Bells or Silent Night in 90-degree weather. Another problem with listening to Christmas music year-round is that it will cause people to stop liking it after a while. For some, listening to the same few songs over and over and over again will cause them to stop enjoying the music entirely. Keeping Christmas songs for Christmas only would eliminate this problem.

I believe people should be able to listen to whatever music they want. However, I don’t think we should force other people to hear it. If someone wants to enjoy Jingle Bells in the privacy of their car, then it isn’t hurting anyone. However, we shouldn’t play Christmas music in stores, restaurants or other public places when it isn’t Christmas. 

Finally, the last controversial topic on the list is when to stop celebrating Christmas after Christmas Day. Some people stop Christmas abruptly right after Christmas day. Others end on New Year’s Day. Other festive people would continue into February. Some even keep their Christmas trees up for the entire year. 

Many people believe that Christmas should extend after into the new year. Their reasoning for this goes back to the decorations problem. Taking elaborate decorations down immediately after Christmas day isn’t worth the labor, so they choose to leave it up a little longer. Another reason is that many school systems extend Christmas break after New Year’s. For some, that means Christmas should be extended too.

Others disagree. They believe that Christmas ends at New Year’s because New Year’s is its own holiday. They believe that the countdown until midnight doesn’t mark the beginning of a new year only, but also the end of Christmas. 

I believe that New Year’s Day should mark the end of Christmas. New Year is a new beginning. This holiday marks the end of the old year. I think that everything in the old year, including Christmas, should be left in the old year. When we start the new year, everything should be fresh and brand new. This allows us to end the old year with an amazing holiday and start a new one with a smile on our faces.

Christmas is a fun and exciting holiday. With the spirit of gifts, music, food and family slowly flowing back to us, it is easy to quickly rush into Christmas. However, we shouldn’t forget to take a step back and savor each moment of this holiday season.