Students of Green Level and people all around the world anticipate the ending of Halloween so they can put away the ghosts and bring out the reindeer. Many a child will start thinking of their Christmas lists in July. But should people wait to celebrate Christmas till the month of December? What if these early festivities are taking away the magic of Christmas?

According to The Blue Banner’s article, “When is it too Early to Celebrate Christmas?”, a “trend began to arise from retailers that is now known as Christmas Creep… Christmas Creep describes the phenomenon seen when retailers put up Christmas decorations and themed merchandise in stores months ahead of the holiday, run Christmas ads months ahead of time or generally begin cramming the Christmas season down your throat long before it even begins.” We’ve all known the experience when a Christmas Honda commercial will flash across your screen November 1. You almost don’t have enough time to stick the Halloween decorations in the attic before the Christmas ones need to come out. Many stores and retailers want to get shoppers excited and in the Christmas spirit so that they feel the need to buy more presents. Even though this is a master plan, what about the true “Spirit of Christmas”?

Yes, Christmas is an amazing holiday full of snow, reindeer, and hot cocoa. But what about the other holidays in the year? Thanksgiving especially seems to get skipped while eager American children and adults leap from Halloween towards the coming Christmas celebrations. Green Level Freshman Kennedy Thomas said, “We need to be thankful at one point. Stores and shops and people need to take the time to be thankful. Christmas is great, but we need to think about all the good things around us that we can appreciate.” Similarly, people can also rush through the spooktacular festivities of Halloween. Green Level Freshman Olivia Marino said about early Christmas celebrations, “What if it’s Halloween? Then you can’t have spooky season. I want to celebrate spooky season!” 

Different families, however, have different traditions. Thomas said that her family begins listening to Christmas music at the beginning of December, but the decorations only come up in the middle of December and closer to the actual holiday. Marino’s family, in contrast, begins listening to Christmas music on November 1st, and decorations come up sometime after Thanksgiving. The Christmas Creep has continued to sneak into all of our lives, creating new traditions for families. Has it affected you yet?

Christmas is a time of year where everyone and everything is merry and bright, but sometimes over excitement for the holiday can get most of us stuck in the trap of the Christmas Creep. If we continue to lengthen the festivities of Christmas then what makes Christmas sacred, the magic of Christmas, will fade away. Be present in the holiday that you are in. Don’t be a grinch, and SAVE Christmas!