Every year, it feels as though Christmas starts earlier and earlier. Radio stations play Christmas music during the middle of November, and stores begin their Black Friday deals on Thanksgiving Day. Christmas enthusiasts love the fact that the Christmas countdown starts before December. However, some wish we would give Thanksgiving the time it deserves before we have to think about another holiday.

Northern High School houses many Christmas enthusiasts, but most people would prefer celebrating Christmas after Thanksgiving. We asked students  if they thought Christmas should be celebrated before Thanksgiving, and out of a total poll of 630 students, 490 of them said no. Some made comments like, “We’re undermining the importance of giving thanks for 'I want' and ‘go buy this,’” and “Thanksgiving is a major holiday, so a holiday that falls afterwards should be celebrated after.” Others said, “Thanksgiving should have its own holiday and Christmas shouldn't interfere with that,” and “Celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving diminishes the value of Turkey Day.” Another said, “We should give thanks before we think about getting gifts.”

On the other hand, 140 students stated that they love celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving. They justified this with comments like, “Christmas is a joyous time, so let’s enjoy it as long as we can," and "I love both Christmas and Thanksgiving but don’t feel that Thanksgiving is slighted in any way by hearing some wonderful music.” And a student said this, “I love Christmas decorations and music and everything about the holiday, so I don’t mind starting the season early.”

Students were also asked when radio stations should start playing Christmas music. Out of the same 630 students, 110 of them wanted Christmas music to start before Thanksgiving, 295 wanted Christmas music to start after Thanksgiving, and 140 wanted Christmas music to start December 1. Students who argued for Christmas music to start earlier stated things like, “I love Christmas and there is no Thanksgiving music,” “This is the only time of year you can play it,” and “There aren’t any Thanksgiving songs, so why not get into the Christmas spirit sooner?” However, those students who wanted Thanksgiving to get the attention it deserves made arguments such as, “Thanksgiving should be respected more than it is, which means the music shouldn’t overtake the stations until after Thanksgiving,” “It’s called the twelve days of Christmas not two months of Christmas,” and “Christmas music loses its meaning if you play it all the time.”

It is obvious that the students of Northern High School are passionate about the holiday season. And now that Thanksgiving is over, students will be excited to start the holiday season with music, decorations, and gifts. No matter what your stance may be, the holiday season is definitely the most festive time of year.

~Aly Huth