It’s too early for Christmas trees

Every year, around this time, the same debate starts: When is the appropriate time to put up your Christmas tree? I stand by my answer of the days following Thanksgiving, but many people already have theirs up.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have seen an increase in social media posts stating Christmas starts on Nov. 1. I’m seeing lights popping up around town and stores putting out their decorations. I, however, could not disagree more with these practices.

Christmas is the biggest holiday in the South, and I love it as much as the next person, but putting your tree up at the beginning of November? Now this may make me sound like a grinch, but I need time to rest from Halloween before diving straight into Christmas.

Looking forward to Christmas and decorating is the only thing getting me through this last long stretch of the semester. I don’t feel very merry when I’ve got 10 assignments due one day and three presentations the next.

Thanksgiving may be one of the most stressful holidays to most, but I see it as my resting period amidst all the other chaos. It’s after the worst of the semester, but before the last-minute Christmas shopping, the wrapping, even more cooking, and of course as a student, the detriment of us all: finals week.

Really when you’re as busy as me I don’t see how you have any other time to decorate. All I’m in the mood for right now is staying in bed and ignoring my assignments for as long as possible.

Thanksgiving break provides the perfect opportunity to rest and finally step through that warm and fuzzy door and into the holiday season. Not to mention the fact that you’ll probably have a few extra hands to help drag everything out of the attic or the garage.

To me, Christmas loses its magic when it is stretched out for too long, and I don’t want to wear it out. I also just don’t want to associate Christmas with the stressful weeks that make up November.

My family has always been a strict after-Thanksgiving group, except for maybe during the pandemic; it might have been up for the whole year that go around. But, hey, at least it sat in a dark corner with the lights off, just waiting to emerge the next year.

After you decide when the tree goes up, then you must decide when it comes down. Some traditions say to take it down on New Year’s Eve, others say to take it down on the 12th day of Christmas, but in my house, it just depends on when we have the energy.

Christmas may be the most exciting holiday of the year, but it is also the most exhausting. Why would I immediately jump up in my exhaustive state and take away the last little bit of Christmas joy? It’s always down before the next semester starts, usually.

This is mostly an argument for people like me that use artificial trees. When you use a real tree, the life span of the tree does most of the deciding for you. This also opens up a whole new door in the argument.

You can’t put a real tree up too early as the lifespan of a fir is typically only four weeks. You wouldn’t want your tree turning brown before the big day even arrives.

People and stores across the country can continue to put out their decorations as early as they want, but I will remain a grinch for now.

Check back with me the day after Thanksgiving, and I’ll have a whole new attitude to offer.