For some, the Halloween decorations stay up for another week, then they start making their Thanksgiving feast shopping list. For others, when the clock strikes 12:00 am on November 1st, it’s the most wonderful time of the year! There’s always been a strong debate over when the Christmas season should start, when your tree should go up and carols should start playing on the radio. But what’s really right? 

When asked when the Christmas season officially starts, sophomore Sarah Pinter said, “After Veterans Day. Because radio stations start playing 24 hour Christmas music the day after Veterans Day.” Radio stations do generally start their holiday music during November. And when December hits, there’s carols on all the stations. But some stations play Christmas carols all year. Josie Sanders says as a singer she needs to prepare for the caroling season right away. “I listen to [Christmas music] starting November 1st.”

Sophomore Claire Felsl chanted “Thanksgiving night, Thanksgiving night, Thanksgiving night,” while Kayden Stiner says the merry season should begin “the day after Thanksgiving. The morning after Thanksgiving you put away all of you fall decorations and get out your tree.” This plan certainly leaves room for Thanksgiving to get all the love it deserves. But seeing as the holiday is on November 28th this year, does that leave enough time to fully enjoy the Christmas season and watch all the holiday movies on TV? What is Christmas without the holiday favorites like Elf, Christmas Vacation, and Home Alone?

There’s so much to Christmas that needs to be celebrated, things that Halloween and Thanksgiving don’t have. Such as cookies, music, movies, snow, decorating, the tree, and Santa Claus! How can you have enough time to do that if you start celebrating too late. Some say the happy medium is two weeks after Halloween. Let’s not forget the most defining part of the Christmas season, the holiday cups at Starbucks. This year the holiday drinks and cups were available November 7th. Is that when the Christmas season officially starts?

When asked if it’s appropriate to start celebrating the day after Halloween, Felsl exclaimed, “No, no but I do because I’m on crack. If you’re crazy, do it. If you’re not, it’d be weird.” But Stiner said, “Its okay to start decorating and celebrating before thanksgiving though, because it is. I start baking Christmas cookies this week actually,” referring to the week after Halloween. No matter when you think it’s okay to start celebrating the season, it’s never a bad time to make Christmas cookies.

Celebrate when you will, but as confirmed by Claire Felsl: “Christmas is year around.”