As schools begin to close and families finalize their plans for winter break, a familiar sight begins to fill stores all across America: shelves of fake snow, ghoulish inflatable santas, and faded plastic candy canes. While many Americans enjoy the unstoppable tide of Christmas spirit, does it ever arrive too early? 

The common practice among most American businesses is to begin setting up Christmas and winter holiday decorations in early November, with some literally taking down their Halloween decorations and replacing them on the spot with Christmas ones. Many people see this as the early signs of the winter season, but others, such as Roosevelt senior Evan Packard, argue that an early sign and an unceasing barrage should be two different things, “Christmas should be in December, and like, that’s it. And maybe the very end of November, but only the very end. Not the beginning of the month.” Many people who have to be around christmas decorations for large parts of the day can get “burnt out” of Christmas spirit before the Christmas holiday even begins. This could lead to decreased participation in Christmas themed events and a decrease in Christmas spirit nationwide. 

While Evan’s opinion may be more of an extreme view, there are still many other students who think that putting up Christmas decorations in November is excessive. When asked if she thought stores and restaurants put up Christmas decorations too early, Roosevelt senior Isabel Walter responded, “Yeah, I think they do, but I don’t have an issue with it, I’m not, you know, I’m not against it. But I think they do put them up a little bit too early.” Despite the opinions on it, year after year, businesses continue to advertise for Christmas much earlier than people think they should.

 Marketing is most likely the reason for this, as getting people thinking about Christmas well before Christmas is a good way to put the message into people’s subconscious that they need to begin their Christmas shopping. This benefits businesses greatly, and as usual, they are willing to put the interest of the public aside in order for an opportunity to make more money.