Senior biology and science education major
There are two kinds of people who celebrate Christmas: those who wait to put up their tree until long after Thanksgiving leftovers are gone, and those who put away decorative cobwebs and pumpkins the day after Halloween to make room for stockings. A war of sorts has begun between these two camps, with the former claiming expanding the Christmas season deprives it of its true meaning and the latter blaring holiday carols so loudly that they can’t hear their opponents’ arguments.
In all fairness, there is no right way to celebrate Christmas. But that being said, wouldn’t the best way be the one that gives you twice the time to immerse yourself in the joy of the season? With a simple check of arithmetic, I think you will see that math is on my side.
Regardless of why you celebrate Christmas, let it lift your spirits during this dreadful round of midterms. Given that our ability to be happy often is at least partially dependent on having a reason to do so, I propose using Christmas as your reason to be happy. Take advantage of the warm, fuzzy feelings you get from watching Miracle on 34th Street and listening to songs about anthropomorphic snowmen; they have no expiration date.
There is the oft-cited worry that Thanksgiving is getting the short end of the drumstick, and with Black Friday sales starting on Thursday, that is a valid concern. But barring society’s commercialization of Christmas, the tenets of the Christmas season coalesce quite nicely with Thanksgiving’s. On Nov. 27, we will gather with our families and friends to share our appreciation of and love for one another, and on Dec. 25, we will do the same, just using thoughtful gifts instead of only kind words. You can enjoy both simultaneously without detracting from either.
Logistically, it just makes sense to lengthen the holiday season. If you were to start celebrating Christmas in December, you would have only 24 days to shop, decorate, attend multiple ugly sweater parties, participate in gift swaps, see extended family members and watch dozens of Christmas movies. During that span, we are working or going to school full-time and only have three weekends to squeeze in all of the fun.
When Christmas becomes a time crunch, the first thing swept under the tree skirt is the joy of the season. Everyone makes sure to find time to get all the gifts and attend all the necessary functions, but in doing so, they become too busy to enjoy the merriment of the holiday. Christmas is not a checklist, and turning it into one practically guarantees we will overlook the intangible things that make this holiday the most wonderful time of the year.
Lengthening the Christmas season doesn’t make it any less significant in the same way having another kid doesn’t make parents love the first child any less. It just gives us more time to focus on the peace, generosity and love that should define the holidays.
Danielle Wilkin is senior biology and science education major. She can be reached at dwilkindbk@gmail.com.
