Christmas has been my favorite holiday for as long as I can remember. I listen to certain Christmas songs year round. I put up decorations the day after Halloween. I love all of those cheesy Hallmark and Lifetime movies that have the exact same plot as every other one. I love the feeling of fresh snow on the ground with Christmas lights shining off of it. I especially love the faces of small children who still believe in Santa Claus and magic.

I don’t love people telling me that my Christmas cheer is coming too early.

I understand why people get so heated about people celebrating Christmas early. They want to give every holiday, specifically Thanksgiving, its due celebration, and I get that. My philosophy is that celebrating Christmas only makes those celebrating it happy, so why should people be upset about that?

Christmas has always had a way of making me happy no matter what. Even if I’m stressed about school or work, I can put on Christmas music and look forward to that beautiful time of year when everything is bright and fun. It has even been scientifically proven that putting up Christmas decorations early makes people happier. Christmas has a certain feeling of joy and generosity surrounding it, and I feel like that feeling is something everyone could use a little more of.

I have seen a lot of posts on social media from people who say Christmas should not be celebrated until December 1st at the earliest, and their main argument is that they feel like people are skipping Thanksgiving. No one is forgetting Thanksgiving. Trust me, we all look forward to that day too. Christmas just has a cheerful spirit that can be celebrated for an extended period of time.

To me, Thanksgiving and Christmas work hand in hand. Celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving helps build the excitement leading up to each holiday. You can still celebrate Thanksgiving while also celebrating Christmas.

I do agree that Christmas probably should not be celebrated before Halloween. Halloween is a pretty significant holiday that comes with its own decorations, music, movies, and traditions. But once the Halloween decorations come down, Christmas ones can go up.

Even if you personally don’t want to start celebrating Christmas early, you shouldn’t hate on people who do start celebrating early. It isn’t your place to squash my joy, and I’ll do my best to not smother you with my Christmas cheer. Everyone has the right to celebrate things in their own way at their own pace. Just let people enjoy things.

And if you’re like me and you like celebrating Christmas as early as possible, don’t let anyone tell you that your joy isn’t welcome. Just do whatever makes you happy.

Jessica Stewart is a junior English major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or at jrstewart3@eiu.edu.