Hot chocolate, plaid pajamas, candy canes, snowmen, and Christmas lights. All these things have become staples to the holiday season. Recently, I’ve noticed a shift in my own life: everyone seems to be moving “Christmas season” earlier and earlier on their calendars, sometimes completely disregarding Thanksgiving. Even before Halloween, big retail stores like Costco started to put out holiday decor. Christmas is now being celebrated before Thanksgiving, and Thanksgiving is forgotten for the magic and spirit of Saint Nick. Thanksgiving should not be skipped, and Christmas should be celebrated after Thanksgiving – not any time before. 

Thanksgiving is a national holiday. It celebrates an important moment of peace between the Wampanoag tribe and the pilgrims of Plymouth in 1621, and should not be disregarded for Christmas when it is historically important. “Thanksgiving is for spending time with family and recognizing things we are grateful for,” agreed Erin Ellsworth (‘23). Thanksgiving celebrates the ideals of gratitude, family, and sharing. A survey conducted by The Tower on Instagram (@thebishopstower) found that out of 79 people, 70 percent agreed that Thanksgiving should be celebrated before thoughts of Christmas begin.

Christmas, which is literally a holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, has turned into an excuse to put up pretty lights and listen to catchy music about an old fat man in a red suit, and people anticipate this time every year. According to Spotify, in 2017, the United States started to seriously stream Christmas music by November 12. In a survey conducted by Fox News, 43 percent of Americans said they are okay with putting up holiday decor before November 1. These things make “Christmas season” so much fun, and it is easy to look over Thanksgiving for the exciting time that follows shortly after. Thanksgiving has not been commercialized to the extent that Christmas has, making it less appealing. “Everyone gets so excited because there are presents and gift-giving during Christmas. There’s a culture around it,” explained Alex Bonaguidi (‘22).

Like Kate Peterson (‘23) said, “Everyone should appreciate Thanksgiving, and only the night after Thanksgiving, you can start to watch Christmas movies and have peppermint mochas.” 

“Christmas season keeps starting earlier, and pretty soon, we will start celebrating Christmas in July! Also, Thanksgiving deserves its moment,” said Marianna Pecora (‘22).

Jeffery Wang (‘21) said it best, arguing the reason we should wait to celebrate Christmas until after Thanksgiving is “the same reason you eat dessert after dinner: you have to savor each one.” While with Christmas comes holiday cheer, Thanksgiving also has a lot to bring to the table, and its importance should not be reduced for the allure of Christmas.