Well, the spooky season of Halloween has come and gone, and you know what that means — it’s the beginning of the metaphorical “holiday season.” This is that magical time of year when people start counting down to Christmas while somehow managing to completely skip over Thanksgiving (you know, the holiday that comes before Christmas).
So, in this article, I want to share a few thoughts on Christmas marketing before moving on to Thanksgiving next week. When it comes to Christmas itself, there are two big things I want to focus on when it comes to celebrating too early: Christmas music and holiday shopping deals. Fair warning — this one’s going to be pretty opinion-based.
For context, I don’t have any problem with people being excited about the holidays. I enjoy Christmas myself, and it has a fascinating history that I might dive into another time. (I’m also aware that there are many other December holidays — such as Chanukah and Kwanzaa — each meaningful and rich in their own traditions.)
What does bother me, though, is the overhyping of Christmas — especially through nonstop marketing and what I like to call the “thawing of the entity” (you’ll know who I mean later).
Let’s start with Christmas itself. I genuinely enjoy the modern version of the holiday — it’s a wonderful time to gather with family and celebrate the end of the year. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have a few gripes. Let’s begin with the big white elephant in the room: Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
In theory, these shopping events make sense — getting great deals and finding gifts your loved ones have been hoping for. Seeing their reactions is priceless. But that’s about where my positives end. The lengths people go to for these deals can get chaotic fast — sometimes even dangerous. It’s not uncommon to see reports of people getting injured or worse in the rush to grab the “must-have” item. (Think Cabbage Patch Kids or Tickle Me Elmo mania.) It ’s a modern version of the Lord of Misrule — just swap out the feasting and revelry for flat-screen TVs and doorbusters.
Then, there’s the other major symptom of early Christmas fever: the music.
Once November 1st hits, it seems like every brick-and-mortar store and shopping center suddenly flips the switch to “Jingle Bells” mode. Don’t get me wrong — I don’t hate Christmas music. Some of it is genuinely uplifting and nostalgic. But when it’s blasted nonstop for nearly two months, it starts to feel about as subtle as a jackhammer on pavement.
Personally, I wait until after Thanksgiving to start listening. I think that holiday deserves its moment in the spotlight before we go full-on sleigh bells and Santa hats.
If you want to make the music marathon more entertaining, there are a couple of popular holiday challenges you can try.
One is called Whamageddon, where you attempt to go the entire holiday season — from December 1st to December 25th — without hearing Wham!’s “Last Christmas.” If you hear it, you’re out. It sounds easy, but it’s harder than you’d think — because once December hits, you can’t trust anyone. (Though this challenge has faded a bit since the passing of George Michael.)
For those feeling brave, there’s “Hard Mode” — better known as the Mariahpocalypse. Same rules, except this time, you’re avoiding Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” It’s considered the harder version because, well, it’s everywhere. And yes, Mariah Carey herself is the “entity” I mentioned earlier — the queen of Christmas who seems to unfreeze right after Halloween to reclaim her throne.
And if you happen to work in retail and are attempting either of these challenges come December 1st, all I can say is this: good luck. You’ll need it.
