By Cassie Honeycutt, Staff Writer
The sweet sound of carolers singing Christmas songs fills the air while golden-brown Christmas cookies come out of the oven and a sugary aroma makes the cold winter months that much easier to bear.
The Christmas spirit is here, and it is time to embrace it.
For some people, the holiday season commences before Dec. 1. For others, this may be aggravating and a bit too soon, but to the Christmas lovers out there, it is the most joyous feeling.
I am all for Christmas starting early. Singing my heart out to Christmas carols or baking holiday goodies with my family are some of the things I look forward to most when the holiday season comes around.
Being in the spirit for Christmas lifts my mood greatly. When I hear “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” I can’t help but sing the words until my throat hurts. Nearly everyone is so happy, so why don’t we start celebrating earlier? If people are in such a cheerful mood because of a holiday, celebrating earlier is a no-brainer to me.
In addition, with the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays being so close together, the time to celebrate is short. The sooner you get into the holiday spirit, the more time you have to enjoy it. Think about it, if you start celebrating Christmas on Dec. 1, you would only have 25 days to celebrate. That may be enough time for you, but for me it isn’t.
Think about when you go shopping in the middle of November – most of the stores are either decorated for Christmas or finishing up their decorating. Being in that atmosphere only makes me want to fully immerse myself in the holiday spirit even more and make this time of the year last longer.
On top of the shops already being decorated, I get to buy gifts for the people who mean the most to me. It makes me realize how well I know the person and how much they do for me. But the best part of it all? The smiling faces and the big hugs after they open their presents.
Don’t even get me started on the decorations outside. The classy white lights and the inflatables always make me smile. By making this time of the year longer, you now have more time to get the decorations up, giving Christmas enthusiasts more time to enjoy your hard work.
Later in the month, you have the wonderful “25 Days of Christmas” offered by the Hallmark Channel to keep you in the holiday spirit instead of becoming gloomy Christmas is ending. Yes, the movies are all the same, but they are all so heartwarming. Even if you’re a Christmas Scrooge or a Christmas enthusiast, Hallmark has the best of both worlds.
Let’s face it, the day after Christmas is one of the saddest days of the year, and everyone expects you to have your decorations down by Jan. 1. There goes that holiday spirit. Starting early gives you more time to enjoy the season and prepare for that dreaded day after Christmas.
Scrooges, I hope I have taken your negative feelings toward Christmas away and have inspired you to get into the holiday spirit. You can’t tell me that singing Christmas carols and making your friends smile a little bit earlier each year ever hurt anybody. Enjoy the holidays and appreciate the Christmas spirit.
Sophomore Cassie Honeycutt can be reached at 21honeycuttca35@daretolearn.org.
