When should you decorate for Christmas?

The answer to this question is one that many feel passionate about.  In an effort to give this topic the due diligence it deserves, below we are presenting the official debate about the subject.

Opening Statements:

Position 1: No Christmas decorating of any kind should take place prior to Thanksgiving. There should also be no Christmas music allowed… especially if it’s in the form of an all Christmas station on the radio.

Position 2: The most wonderful time of year should be welcomed starting in November… decorations, cookies, tinsel, movies, and Christmas radio.

Arguments in Support of Position 1:

• Thanksgiving has feelings too. This poor holiday does its very best to bring us yummy food, football and family, but it gets so very little thanks itself. People just gloss right over it in their mad dash to get to the Christmas season. I feel so sad for this forgotten holiday.
• Fall decorations are adorable. Leaves, pumpkins, gourds, scarecrows, turkeys (oh, the turkeys), MUMS!, corn stalks, and more. It is entirely unfair that when one walks into Hobby Lobby or Target, one gets an entire section of Halloween decorations along with an entire section of Christmas decorations beginning in September. Where are the fall/Thanksgiving decorations? They are in the Dollar Spot or relegated to the end display of a single aisle. It’s a travesty.
• I will concede the point that Christmas music is fun. However, when it hits the airways on November 1st, my head can no longer take anymore Jingle Bells or Decking of the Halls by the time the actual holiday comes around.
  Along the same lines… Can we not sing about snow and Frosty until it’s actually cold and snowy?
• Decorating too early, decreases the joy of the anticipation of one of the great holidays. It’s no longer a special part of the year, cherished that much more because it’s so fleeting. Hell, it’s half the year at this point.
  Christmas trees at Thanksgiving dinner. Really?  Not to mention, that putting up a tree that early implies that it is not a real one, something I just can’t get on board with.  To each their own on this subject, but in my opinion, the tree should be real and you should even cut it down yourself.

Rebuttal Against Position 1:

• Thanksgiving is a great holiday.  Family gatherings yummy food, and beautiful fall décor are things I enjoy; however, Thanksgiving can be selfish. It just doesn’t like to share. You don’t see Halloween saying keep the turkeys, pilgrims, stuffing and cranberries until the 4th Thursday in November.
• Musicians and artists create Christmas albums.  There are thousands of Christmas songs and Christmas albums.  It is shame that all the hours of song writing and musical composing only be listened to from the day after Thanksgiving to Dec. 26th.  Yes, Christmas music should start early as we embrace the cheer, spirit, laughter, anticipation for a magical day.  One main reason is because the radio stops the music on the 26th.  I don’t know about you, but my family lives all over the county.  We celebrate with family gatherings up until New Year’s Eve due to distance, snow delays, and work schedules.  Starting early, helps make up for the fact that the music is turned off, on what feels like Dec. 25th at midnight.
• Christmas trees … why you don’t put those darling fall leaves, mums, scarecrows, and pumpkins on your tree?  Just use lights that changes color. If people can theme their trees with Bengal’s, UC and UK (which is totally acceptable) then make yours fall until you break out the tinsel!
• In regard to “Along the same lines… Can we not sing about snow and Frosty until it’s actually cold and snowy?” I’m writing this on Nov. 1, all quiet at my house and IT’S SNOWING!!  I had to bundle my kids up with hats, gloves, and winter coats to go to Kroger this morning.  Bring on the Frosty!!

Arguments in Support of Position 2:

• I loved Christmas before Black Friday Christmas shopping started closing in on Thanksgiving (which I hate).  That being said, I love the child- like magic of Christmas.  I love the music, the trees, the smell of pine, the cookies, gatherings of laughter, and most of all Christmas movies.  Why should it all be crammed into one month?  There is too much to enchantment and yummy food!
• Christmas movies.  Who doesn’t love a feel good, no brain power required for two hours movie?  Hallmark has the best ones.  Clearly, as I have seen 98% of them at least once I say this with lots of first-hand experience.  Life is hard, full of heartache, challenge, loss and grief.  In real life, sometimes we see the beauty in the challenges, but sometimes we live our entire lives wondering, why?  But in a Hallmark Christmas movie, you always know why!  There is always a happy ending.  Broken marriages are healed, friendships restored, lost love found, etc.  Go ahead don’t watch them, just go watch the news.  I’m sure that will be restful, joyous, and help you sleep at night. (The news is important yes, not trying to say it isn’t, but not a lot of warm fuzziness there.
• Christmas decorations are adorable, sparkly, and fabulous.  It is a shame to let them sit in the red and green bins in my garage until after Thanksgiving.  One, I love them!  Two, do you know how much work it is to get those things out every year when you have two small children?  I am sure most of you do.  It feels like running a 10k, even when my husband assists me!  Why do all the work for 25ish days? If I’m going to rearrange the garage, bring it all in the house, take out all the things that don’t fit because the Christmas décor,  then I am going to enjoy the work for more than 25ish days!

Rebuttal Against Position 2:

• Don’t even get me started on Black Friday… which now doesn’t even wait until Friday.  And, I love the magic of Christmas as much as the next guy (well, maybe slightly less than my obsessed debate opponent), but I firmly believe there is a time and a place for all holidays.  It’s like Jack Skellington realized in The Nightmare Before Christmas.  He didn’t belong in that holiday.  HE, was the PUMPKIN KING.
• My question is this… Why can’t Hallmark expand their horizons to make some feel good, sappy, happy movies about Thanksgiving?  It’s a warm family celebration as well.  Why are all the world’s problems solved at Christmas?  Maybe magic can happen over turkey and stuffing too!  My children have already forced me to watch The Grinch Who Stole Christmas five times during the first week of November.  I let them because I love them unconditionally and I try to support them in their misguided desire as much as I can in an effort to appreciate them as little people with their own opinions.  I still hate it.  Hallmark, Buddy, Rudolf… I will see you in December my friends.  My children may have gone to the dark side, but I will stand strong in my support of Fall and watch The Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, thank you very much.
• Dear opponent, just how many Christmas decorations do you have?

{Special thanks to local mom and guest blogger, Rhonna, for her participation in this debate in support of Position 2: Decorate and celebrate as early as possible!  Rhonna is a Cincinnati transplant and has lived in the area for 9 years.  She, her husband, and two small children love how the Christmas holiday brings sparkle and family friendly adventures to the Cincinnati area.}