As midnight nears on the night of Oct. 31, many people begin preparing for a variety of holidays. Some may keep up their Halloween decorations for a little longer, while others prepare for either one of two major holidays: Thanksgiving or Christmas. 

While Thanksgiving does come first in the calendar year, there is a major debate about whether Christmas can be celebrated as soon as Halloween ends. Do you have to wait for December to finally put up your Christmas tree? Or can you do it before turkey dinner on Thanksgiving day?

“The beginning of November is definitely Thanksgiving time,” sophomore Mac Conrad said. “I don’t start listening to Christmas music or putting up Christmas decorations until Dec. 1.”

Thanksgiving holds a powerful meaning to many Americans. It’s a time to be grateful for all you have and reflect on what matters most. 

“I prefer Thanksgiving because you get to appreciate the things that you have like your family and friends and express gratitude,” Conrad said. “I feel like Christmas is a holiday where everyone just asks for things.”

For others, Thanksgiving doesn’t hold that much importance.

“Thanksgiving doesn’t mean that much to me because I think that people should be thankful every day and not just on Thanksgiving,” junior Kate Krugh said.

Whether or not Thanksgiving is a holiday to be celebrated, many can agree that Christmas decorations are a large part of the holiday season after Halloween finishes.

“We put our lights up in October and then our decorations come out in the beginning of November,” Krugh said. “For my family, November means that it’s immediately Christmas time; it’s like Thanksgiving doesn’t really exist.”

However, when Christmas decorations start to go up on houses, there are bound to be those who say they shouldn’t be up so soon.

“I think that Christmas can be celebrated whenever people want to celebrate it; there’s no set time for it,” Krugh said. “Even if you don’t think that Christmas should be celebrated right away, I think everyone should respect others’ decorations.”

Even though we should understand others’ opinions, many disagree with the narrative that people can decorate for whatever they want, whenever they want.

“By midnight on Nov. 1, all Halloween decorations need to be gone,” senior Nick Spruce said. “Christmas starts immediately as November starts, and Halloween needs to be over with.”

Christmas is a holiday held in the hearts of many people and when November rolls around, they waste no time putting up the tree and ornaments.

“The holiday cheer is unlike anything else all year,” Spruce said. “Who wouldn’t want to celebrate Christmas as soon as they can?”

Thanksgiving and Christmas can both hold special meanings to different people, so when deciding which one to start first, just remember which sparks more joy in your heart when that time of year finally comes around. (Hint: it should be Christmas.)