Waking up on November 1, things seem out of place. The creepiness that has fallen over Erie for the last month has suddenly faded and now Mariah Carey is looming on the horizon, waiting to defrost from her long hibernation. The Christmas excitement begins to fill the air, but it’s my less popular opinion that it should remain quiet until Thanksgiving has passed.
People often jump the Christmas decorating before turkey and stuffing has been set upon the family table. This rushes the holiday and often makes Thanksgiving lack the celebration that it deserves. Thanksgiving is an important holiday as it shows appreciation for our families and surroundings. The holiday is also an important time to gather with the people you love and eat a savory, hearty meal. The memories that are made on this holiday are long-lasting and remain with people even after they grow older.
Since Christmas is such a huge holiday, Thanksgiving often gets overshadowed. Walking into stores, there are really no Thanksgiving decorations, and as soon as Halloween passes, stores rush to fill with Christmas items. Additionally, there is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, which showcases Santa Claus in their lineup, but it’s the grand finale signaling it is now his turn to take over the holiday excitement.
Christmas music is another large reason as to why after Thanksgiving is perfect to begin the holiday traditions. Years ago, radio stations in Erie, such as Classy 100, didn’t begin playing Christmas music until the morning of Black Friday, but this year, jingle bells and songs about snow were playing when it was still 60 degrees outside in the second week of November. Playing these holiday tunes can very quickly get old, such as Mariah Carey’s hit, “All I Want For Christmas is You,” which has taken the top spot on the Billboard Holiday 100 chart every fall and winter since 2019. Waiting until after Thanksgiving to indulge in these holiday tunes can save them from becoming too worn out before December 25 arrives.
Of course, the reason for the early holiday push is marketing. Black Friday once was the traditional first day of Christmas shopping, but now stores have been sending Black Friday notices for weeks already. Additionally, Amazon has created a Black Friday week from November 21 – 29, which features a new deal each day.
Black Friday takes place on November 29th. This is a day in which you could go shopping then partake in decorating your house or even going to Starbucks to try one of their limited edition coffees. If you’d prefer a traditional Christmas shopping feel, you can always partake in Shop Small Saturday on November 30. Instead of shopping at large businesses, such as Walmart or the mall, you could go check out local small businesses around Erie. Additionally, this would be a great day to start a Christmas countdown as the holiday will only be 25 days away!
Though Christmas is “the most wonderful time of the year,” there is a time and place to correctly “Deck the Halls”, and that time is after Thanksgiving.
