It is October 31st, Halloween night, a time for trick or treating, dressing up, and scary movies. But instead of creepy costumes all around, the only thing you see is a fully decorated tree in the window of your neighbor’s house.
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “Christmas Creep” is a term used to describe the slow introduction to the aforementioned winter holiday earlier and earlier every year. By the time fall hits, the countdown until December 25th begins. However, in an attempt to spread holiday joy sooner rather than later, people are ruining the true spirit of Christmas.
Though it might sound Grinch-y, it is the truth. The introduction of decorations, music, and festivities so early in the season tires people out before December even starts. Companies only add to the overwhelming nature of it all, considering that they are the ones who start advertising and selling decorations way too early.
Some people have a specific date in which it is okay to start decorating for the holidays. According to Sasha Trajkovski, a senior at Crown Point High School, this time slot would be mid-November.
“I think if you decorate any time in early November it might be a little bit too much,” Trajkovski said. “I can understand decorating mid to late November just because people have such busy schedules, and they might not necessarily have the time to decorate later.”
While it definitely makes sense to decorate due to scheduling issues, decorating and heavy advertising are completely separate from getting ahead on a hectic time. Pushing Christmas festivities so early in the year, especially October and early November, burns people out by the time the actual holiday arrives.
To prevent Christmas from losing all its charm, companies and people need to stop letting Christmas Creep earlier and earlier into the year. Playing the music and putting up decorations later in the year, and simply letting the excitement linger before acting upon it are great ways to end the Creep of Christmas.
