Christmas, a holiday that many families in the United States celebrate, is arriving sooner than most students at CHS have anticipated. Even though the month of Thanksgiving, November, is still ongoing, Christmas is already taking over with its annoyingly catchy music. Thanksgiving is usually celebrated with a huge meal where families gather around a table full of food such as turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, and even pumpkin pie to enjoy the festive mood. Unlike Thanksgiving, Christmas is celebrated with a huge tree decorated with garlands with gifts underneath. Socks are placed right on top of the fireplace, while stories of Santa Claus circulate around the children of each neighborhood. In retrospect, both holidays are equally as important as the other, with both having heart-warming traditions.
Everyone is familiar with songs like “Jingle Bell Rock” or “Winter Wonderland”, but the most arguably popular Christmas song might be Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Ranging from massive department stores like JCPenney and Macy’s to radio stations and even Starbucks, songs like these are played everywhere starting right after Halloween. Because of this surge in malls playing Christmas songs over and over again, Carey receives a hefty paycheck every year at the end of December. This phenomena explains the TikTok trend where Mariah Carey is “defrosting” because her music is only coming alive during winter, and not in the other seasons. The catchy tones and the festive spirit definitely contribute to the amount of listeners of Christmas music every year and Lilli Edeson, a sophomore at CHS, wanted to share her favorite Christmas songs with the student body.
“I like ‘So This is Christmas’ by Celine Dion. Also that one Elvis [Presley] Christmas song, and ‘God Rescue Merry Gentlemen’ by Pentaonix are some of my favorite Christmas songs,” Edeson said.
But is it right to play Christmas music in November? Is it fair to have such an important holiday overlooked?
Thanksgiving and Christmas both have a real and legitimate history to it. Thanksgiving originated from the story of the pilgrims and the Native Americans while Christmas was actually a holiday for devoted Christians before it became popular with the masses. Both holidays are as special as the other, and the month of November should definitely not be ignored just because the production of Thanksgiving songs is lacking. Mr. Oberbeck, a math teacher, expresses his opinion on why he thinks Thanksgiving should be celebrated.
“Since my birthday is in November and if Thanksgiving gets overlooked, it’s as if people are overlooking me and my birthday,” Oberbeck said. “So I get personally offended. The day after Thanksgiving is the day we can start recognizing Christmas.”
Christmas music should certainly be played, but some have to know that those seasonal songs should be played at the right time. With Thanksgiving coming closer and closer everyday, the opportunity to play Christmas music is also arriving soon. But alas, the holiday of Thanksgiving should be respected and its culture as well. As both Thanksgiving and Christmas creep up on us day by day, always remember to think about something that you appreciate and are grateful for. Don’t forget to share your thoughts with your family during the Thanksgiving meal!