As Mariah Carey defrosts, so do the decoration boxes in the basement. Nobody can deny that the Christmas spirit is already creeping into our day-to-day lives. But we as a community have to stop and ask ourselves: is there such a thing as “too early” to break out the eggnog?

This is exactly what was asked of several people of the Woodland community and the question even stretched to beyond Woodland alone, all of which shared their diverse opinions on the matter.

Staff and students alike have agreed on either one of two things- with several outliers, of course- and one of those staff members had a more popular opinion: Woodland’s beloved substitute teacher Janice Pugliese. Pugliese believes that each holiday deserves its own time to shine and should be appreciated for what it represents.

“I love Christmas, but I also love Thanksgiving,” Pugliese shares. “So I think we need a little time to work up to Christmas and celebrate Thanksgiving for what it is.”

Woodland student Lelija Lusas is one of many to agree, believing that decorating for a holiday too early can kill the hype of an upcoming one. 

“My dad usually turns on the Christmas lights as soon as the Thanksgiving meal is over; it’s such a lovely tradition,” Lusas recalled. “[People who decide to decorate for the holidays] need to hold on to the end of November, they’ll get more sales at once. […] Taking them out before it takes away the hype for it.”

Although many agree, there are several who disagree. Take Wayne School of Engineering student Everette Graham of North Carolina–yes, we interviewed that far out, this matter is crucial–who believes that Christmas is a holiday to be celebrated around the year and that there is no such thing as “too early” to begin spreading the spirit.

“I don’t believe in ‘too early’ to take out the Christmas decorations, unless it’s Halloween,” Graham informs. “I love Christmas.” 

Upon being asked when he finds it to be a reasonable time to begin decorating, Graham states the following: “I guess at Halloween. I think Halloween is the only one [holiday] that interferes- you could make yourself a Christmassy-Valentines or a Christmassy-easter. Halloween deserves its own place.” Being a big fan of the holiday, he finds it to be enjoyable all year round. Wait until he finds out about Christmas in July.

Holidays, at their core, are days of celebration, meaning it won’t matter in the end whether or not you took down your Christmas tree before Valentines’ day of the next year. Celebrating the events themselves are what’s important, and the unity that they bring to various communities are what triumphs all controversy and disagreement. So don’t be afraid to put a twelve-foot inflatable Jack Skellington up in your yard in the middle of the summer–sure, you might get a few stares, but all that matters is that you’re getting the most out of the holiday and having a good time.

Jordyn Hernandez
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