Too Early for Christmas?

Santa Claus is coming to town, and I’m unashamedly right behind him

By: Esther Chan

Illustration by: Brighid de Danann.

As November creeps into December, it’s officially that time of year. Whether it’s pumpkins, turkeys, or Christmas trees, the fanfare of the year end’s holidays define our days. The rotten pumpkins and leftover stuffing beg the question: how early is too early for Christmas? Full disclosure, weeks ago, by the time it was October 1, the iridescent vibrancy of Christmas music had already gracefully danced their way through my ear canals, bells and all. So if you ask me how early is too early, I, a proud advocate of all things holiday, would say it’s never too early.

Perhaps this comes from the bias of a crazy Christmas fanatic, but at the end of the day, if something makes you happy and causes no harm to others, there’s no reason to restrain yourself. The way I see it, the arduous days are made bearable by salvaging the little things—those little pushes that, for just a moment, make the heart a little lighter and the day a little brighter. For me, it is Christmas music that has currently fulfilled that role as my daily pick-me-up. Perhaps it’s pathetic and premature, but this little glimmer of nostalgia and joy is enough to put a smile on my face, and sometimes, that’s all one needs.

If it takes songs about a (debatably creepy) big, jolly man who steals kids’ cookies or those about frozen water creatures who entice children (a.k.a. “Frosty the Snowman”) to survive the final stretch of the semester, then so be it. Life’s stressful enough as it is—why not brighten it with some holiday obnoxiousness, deck the halls, and jingle all the way with Santa and his elves? After all, a little bit of “ho ho ho” never killed anyone, well except for Grandma who got run over by a reindeer.