Every year, around the end of November, people start to get excited in anticipation for the upcoming month of December. Which I totally understand because, throughout the year, there are no holidays that are as anticipated as Christmas. 

Christmas means sitting by the fire with hot cocoa, bright shiny lights, gingerbread houses, and holiday cheer. However, there is only one time and place for these celebrations––the month of December. Not before. And especially not after. Christmas is fun and all, but it is preposterous to begin playing Christmas music the second that November begins. 

Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of Christmas, but there is something about having a time and place for everything that I thoroughly enjoy. Christmas becomes more special when the time leading to it is limited; nothing is more satisfying than the few weeks before Christmas Eve and Christmas Day––it is hard not to get Christmas fever. And it is then that Christmas music is appropriate. 

When Christmas music, as “catchy” as it can sometimes be, is played before December, it lures us away from the time where we can actually sit down and be grateful for everything we have. With Mariah Carey and Michael Buble blasting in malls, the joys of Thanksgiving, stuffing your face with turkey and mashed potatoes and recalling the many things we should be thankful for, are lost. 

I, for one, really love November and Thanksgiving; it is one of my favorite times of the year. It is time to be with family and to share thanks for everything we have and our life opportunities. When people play Christmas music before turkey day, it certainly feels like they are overlooking this amazing holiday and jumping right into Christmas. Thanksgiving deserves better, and so do we. December is the time for Christmas, not November and especially not before Thanksgiving. I get that there is no real “Thanksgiving Spirit” or at least none that could be compared to the power of the “Christmas Spirit,” but in the times we live in, we all need a time to sit down and be grateful for everything we have and how lucky we are to have certain opportunities and people in our lives. Nowadays people just rush into the idea of Christmas and take less notice of Thanksgiving.

Although Christmas music is beloved during the Christmas season, playing it in the middle of July is just a tiny bit annoying. I understand blasting it during December and even a little bit into January, but once February hits, Christmas season is officially over, and it is time to move and listen to different music.

Christmas Music is only meant for Christmas time. It’s happy, merry, and jolly, because these emotions are heightened during the Christmas Season. This is the only place where Christmas music belongs. December is the only acceptable time to bring out the Frank Sinatra Christmas Album or jam out to “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” period!