Here, in that time of year forever known as late November, a serious question needs to be asked. Or, more accurately, a fairly minor question needs to be asked. When is the most appropriate time to start pushing Christmas and the assorted decorations and other events associated with it?
Now, in my house, Christmas is all year round, because my roof is really high and that's where the lights are. That's a poor excuse, but to be fair it's also a tradition passed down by the previous owners, who also didn't want to take down the lights because they were too high. The best part is that the lights are never actually lit, since several were smashed in a storm and the same reason that keeps them attached forever makes climbing up to replace bulbs an unappealing prospect.
But let's ignore my house and talk about Christmas for normal people, with normal roofs and normal lighting. For them, when should they start preparing for the season and make their house all pretty and bright? What is the ideal start to the Christmas season? For many businesses, that start has been steadily creeping up each year. I could buy Egg Nog in early October, and decorations have been popping up in businesses around town for a while now. The Christmas season has clearly begun already.
Do people actually want that to happen? An acquaintance said this weekend that he was so tired of holiday advertising that he would "throw his TV out the window" if he sees another. Presumably, a new TV would be on his wish list soon after, but I digress. A cousin, who put up her tree early after getting tired of her children begging, expressed disappointment at being one of "those people," using a tone more appropriate for people who text in the theatre. The Christmas season might be starting early, but it doesn't seem like anyone wants it to.
I understand why businesses want it to begin sooner, you have a large pile of stuff that sells well for about a month before you have to unload it at huge discounts. A longer season means someone might buy more Christmas lights or some festive chocolate or something. I'd also argue that they should start earlier than when normal people should start preparing, because you've got to fix all your smashed lights and whatnot, and need supplies.
However, for normal people, waiting until December probably makes the most sense. That way, by the time the day comes, you haven't gotten sick of Christmas carols, tired of lights, or gained 300 pounds by pounding Egg Nog. Then, you don't get that saturation and over-exposure to Christmas spirit that makes you tired of the holiday before it actually begins. Keeping things at one month stops the season from becoming tedious, and you have that magical month before you move on to the dreary hangover that is January, spending the month recovering from an overabundance of Christmas spirits and New Year's celebration. Right now, having people get sick of the holiday before the actual month begins makes the experience somewhat sad, as it ruins what makes everything special and instead just makes everyone unhappy. Hangovers shouldn't start before the party, after all.
Then again, I do have my lights up all year, what do I know?
