Picture this: you walk into a Michaels craft store, and the smell of cinnamon tickles your nose. The entire store has been transformed into a winter wonderland; Christmas trees, Santa statues and candy canes are everywhere you look. This seems like a lovely image, except that it’s the middle of October and barely below 70 degrees. 

Each year, it seems Christmas is being celebrated earlier and earlier by people and stores alike. While I can’t help but shake my head when I drive by a house decked out in lights in the middle of November, I recognize the joy this brings some people. Christmas is undeniably one of the most popular holidays in the United States, but it just seems ridiculous to me that it should have three whole months dedicated to it. I believe people should wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate for, sing about, or count down the days until Dec. 25. As it turns out, 62% of Dulaney students agreed with me in a recent survey.

I’m not one to “snow” on anyone else’s Christmas parade, but part of the magic of the holiday is waiting for December to celebrate it. The earlier Mariah Carey is played on the radio, the more likely I am to be tired of hearing “All I Want for Christmas is You” before the titular day even arrives. The thought of eating Thanksgiving dinner with a Christmas tree in my line of vision makes me cringe. These holidays should be enjoyed separately as they have nothing to do with each other and take place in different seasons. 

Stores have caught on to the public’s obsession with Christmas, prompting them to sell holiday merchandise as early as the end of summer. You would be hard-pressed to find a pumpkin-scented candle at Bath and Body Works in November; according to the retail chain, people’s homes should smell like “Winter Candy Apple” and “Vanilla Bean Noel” for the last three months of the year. The commercialization of Christmas has led to an extreme oversaturation of the holiday, distancing it from its traditional religious and cultural significance.

It saddens me that we as a society overlook autumn entirely in anticipation for a singular holiday. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Christmas, it just needs to stay in December where it belongs. But if your happiness hinges on your ability to watch “Elf” from the comfort of your own home before Thanksgiving, I certainly can’t take that away from you.