It’s the middle of November. You’re walking around the grocery store, picking the perfect turkey and pumpkin pie for your Thanksgiving dinner. All of a sudden, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey is blasting over the loudspeakers. Welcome to corporate America.

Why do stores start putting Christmas decorations on display the day after Halloween? What’s the rush? It’s not like the decorations are going to grow legs and run away. According to the Walmart website, on October 28, 2020 a verified purchaser had already bought a Christmas tree skirt from the website AND reviewed it (walmart.com). Was the pumpkin you bought for Halloween feeling so cold you had to buy it a skirt? You might as well knit or crochet a tree skirt if you’re planning ahead for the holidays that early.

And it’s not just the decorations. Why is Christmas music being played before December anyway? To be specific, the same set of Christmas songs are repeated over and over again. From kids’ Christmas songs like “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Gene Autry to romantic Christmas songs like “Mistletoe” by Justin Bieber, the bombardment of Christmas music at the inappropriate time warrants these songs unbearable by the time it’s Christmas.

“Don’t get me started on Mariah Carey. I could go without hearing from her for a while. Have you ever listened to a song for two months straight? You get pissed off right? Not to mention the amount of high notes that the song includes. It pierces your ears!” said Senior Maximilian Nelson. No matter where you hear it, there is no escaping the Christmas music. It’s like trying to avoid looking in the mirror when there’s one in front of your face.

Ever try listening to some reggaeton on the radio and suddenly “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande starts playing? How’d we go from listening to “Gasolina” by Daddy Yankee to a Christmas song? Not everybody wants to go from wearing a backwards hat to wearing a Santa hat in the span of three minutes.

It’s like November should just be scratched off of the calendar at this point. Oh wait. Don’t forget to scratch off Thanksgiving in particular. Imagine getting your birthday ignored; how inconsiderate, right? Why don’t we treat Thanksgiving the same way?

“Personally, I love Thanksgiving. It’s a time where people are able to connect with distant family members over a nice meal. I feel it’s a little disrespectful that Thanksgiving gets overshadowed,” said Nelson.

But do not fear; of course this would never happen with Christmas. Lack of attention to the holiday never seems to be an issue. Most people argue that Christmas is celebrated so much because it brings joy to those with Mr. Grinch hearts. But why does it really bring joy? Presents. Well, it sure isn’t “spending time with family” that makes everyone so jolly. You know for a fact you were talking behind their backs just last week. If it were really family, why weren’t you jolly about seeing them during Thanksgiving?

America, take it down a notch. Let every holiday take its turn. The world is barely getting a breather from Halloween and you’re already skipping to December. Slow it down.