Although the spirit of the holidays is an annual celebration that brings people and families together, there are many reasons why people should let the enthusiasm wait a little longer. 

Autumn is a time for fall foliage and pumpkin patches, but people who celebrate early seem to enjoy their Christmas trees with a side of bank account debt. 

Encouraging the mob mentality of moving into the holiday season too fast also encourages stores to increase prices for regular items that happen to be Christmas themed.

 “In 2018, holiday retail sales in the United States were forecast to amount to about 719.17 billion U.S. dollars. Holiday retail sales have risen substantially since the turn of the century, with holiday retail sales amounting to approximately 400 billion U.S. dollars back in 2000,” according to Statista.com.

Since companies know what their Christmas-crazed customers are attracted to, they know that packaging their regular products with extra glitter and ribbon will increase their sales. A win for big companies, but a loss for our bank accounts. 

The main aspect of Christmas that people forget about is the reason for its celebration: the birth of Christ. Christmas is not supposed to be all about lighting sugar plum scented candles, eating peppermint twists and building borderline inedible gingerbread houses. It is supposed to be a time for families to gather, feast on hearty meals, and feel the joy of being surrounded by their loved ones. It seems that people who celebrate Christmas earlier are usually the ones who appreciate the materialistic parts over the meaningful parts of it. 

By starting rituals in November, everyone will be tired of Christmas by December. A rinse and repeat cycle of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas,” “Elf” by Jon Favreau and broken Christmas lights every week? It would get boring for anyone. Lengthening a time of the year that should be cherished for its rare occasions and special traditions, can undermine its meaning and impact on people. By the time Christmas actually comes around, people will break at the sound of a Christmas jingle and wail at the amount of money in their bank account—or lack thereof.