Christmas music should start Nov. 1

Anyone who says that Christmas music shouldn’t be played before Thanksgiving is just anti-Christmas. That, or they’re the Grinch. As Patrick from Perks of Being a Wallflower would probably say, Clara Neupert, why are you trying to eat Christmas? (I tease.)

I have yet to meet a person who dislikes Christmas jams. People generally associate Christmas with a cheerful part of life, and so their brains release corresponding dopamine in response to the positive memories of holiday cheer, causing almost immediate happiness. (Our brains even love Christmas, I’m just saying). Even just merely decorating for Christmas makes people happier, science tells us. I may just be speaking on my own behalf, but Christmas music is meant to start being played at midnight Nov. 1.

In fact, Christmas music shouldn’t even be exclusive to wintertime. I definitely am the type of person who can be found jamming to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas is You” in the middle of July. I’m a big advocate for being happy, so I say let’s jam to holiday tunes whenever we feel like we need a shot of extra cheerfulness.

Some may argue that playing Christmas music too early takes away from Thanksgiving, but I argue differently. Thanksgiving is about spending time with family and being grateful for things. My family and I will be spending our time together this Thanksgiving by decorating our whole house for Christmas, drinking eggnog and blasting Josh Groban. It’s the one time this whole semester that I can focus on my family and be grateful for the time I have with them. So what if Christmas edges up on Thanksgiving? The holidays go hand-in-hand, anyways.

So if anyone tries to argue that Christmas music starts playing in department stores a little too early, just drink peppermint hot chocolate, or eggnog — I’m not picky — with glee. You do you, my friends.

Mennecke can be reached at [email protected].

Stop premature holiday celebration!

I was on my way back to Eau Claire one weekend when a noise over the radio assaulted my ears.

It was Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.” I angrily changed the channel. Halloween had only been days ago, after all. The fall season is a time for acoustic melodies, not repetitive sleigh bells.

Beginning winter holiday festivities before they begin is a grave mistake. The consequence is a holiday season without magic.

To be clear, I’m not hating on the holidays. I just think each one has a specific time and place deemed for celebration.

You can have too much of a good thing. If I drink too much water, I’ll drown. If I spend too much time with friends, I’ll fail classes. The same concept applies to holiday celebration. If we celebrate any holiday way before its allotted time, it loses its special glimmer and just becomes an everyday occurance.

Waiting for the holiday time to arrive builds excitement and anticipation. When the festivities begins, they’re all the better.

One could argue it’d be a good idea for the holiday season’s joy and generosity to be practiced throughout the year. My response: Why aren’t we always as kind as we are during the holidays throughout the year? We shouldn’t limit our good deeds to three months.

Additionally, we shouldn’t wait until the holiday season to tell our loved ones how much we love and appreciate them — we can do that year-round.

Neupert can be reached at [email protected].