We all know this time of year too well. The leaves start falling, the days get shorter, and the pumpkins people have on their porches should have been thrown out a week ago. It’s that weird time between Halloween and thanksgiving that no one knows what to actually do. The hype of Halloween is gone and Thanksgiving is only 3 weeks away, but there is no real preparation until about a day before. So most people will just not be festive during these weeks. But then you have the people who I like to call Santa’s little demons, and we all know one. They start playing Christmas music before the temperature gets below forty degrees and I think these people are the worst. In this blog I will go into depth of the problems and solutions we could have to stop the ever growing pandemic that is Christmas before Thanksgiving.
Problem #1: Does Thanksgiving not exist?
Most holidays will have a couple of weeks of build up to them. There will be sales, people will decorate, and the hype is built up. Why should Thanksgiving not get the same treatment? Sure it is an awkward time after Halloween, being less than a month apart, but you don’t celebrate one person’s birthday any less because someone had their birthday the day before. The people who start celebrating Christmas right after Halloween don’t give Thanksgiving it’s time in the spotlight. There is no reason that Thanksgiving should be treated as any less of a holiday. These people give Thanksgiving the day before and day of. The rest of November and December are designated as Christmas for them.
Solution to Problem #1: Then it doesn’t exist.
If you don’t acknowledge the build up time to Thanksgiving and skip right to Christmas, you are practically ignoring Thanksgiving. So, you shouldn’t celebrate it. If Thanksgiving doesn’t deserve those two to three weeks like every other major holiday then you don’t deserve to celebrate it. Don’t eat turkey, don’t celebrate with family, don’t watch Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving. Keep listening to your Christmas music and worshipping the fat man who forcibly enters your home and eats your cookies. The rest of us will be thankful for what we have.
Problem #2: Make the music stop!
I like Christmas music, don’t get me wrong, but when it is played non stop for two months it gets really annoying. I can only hear Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You so many times before I want to cut off my ears. There are only so many good Christmas songs to fill two or three weeks of occasional listening. So, after Thanksgiving, when it’s the build up time for Christmas, play as much Christmas music as you want, I don’t care at that point, but don’t make me listen to sleigh bells for two months. “But there’s no Thanksgiving music?” some people say. Ok? And? There’s not much Halloweenn music and we still give it it’s deserved build up period. And on that note:
Solution to problem #2: Make music!
If there is no Thanksgiving music, make some. There wasn’t Christmas music at one point and people made it. The same can happen with Thanksgiving. Better yet, petition rap and hip artists to make Thanksgiving music so that we have some fire songs to play. Thanksgiving music could be awesome if the right people make it.
In conclusion, people need to respect Thanksgiving as a holiday. It deserves it’s two to three week build up period just as much as any other holiday. Halloween has October, Christmas has December, so let Thanksgiving have November. I would push for government intervention at this point, but they probably have their hands deep in the pockets of Santa and the rest of the Christamas profiteers. It is up to us, the public, to give Thanksgiving the rights it deserves and to stop Santa’s little demons from erasing Thanksgiving as a whole.
Quinn, I have been fighting this fight for the last 5 years. Every year I have these same people in my life who forcibly listen to Christmas music as soon as the 31st has passed. These people (my sister) make December a living hell because I am already exhausted from listening to holiday music and she never seems to have an issue. It’s starting to feel like and inescapable fact of life here. I really enjoy your possible solution of petitioning musicians to create thanksgiving music. Imagine sitting at the dinner table with the fam and listening to Kanye’s new Thanksgiving album rapping about the creamy mashed potatoes and turkey. I think it would be a hit especially in a genre that is so untapped. Overall, I’m really proud to see someone doing something to raise attention to this cultural epidemic and putting their foot down against these types of people. It seems like you have the stones to do something the rest of us are unable or unwilling to attempt: controlling Christmas.
Quinn, I can see where you are coming from in terms of wanting Thanksgiving to have at least some recognition during the holidays. I agree that before Thanksgiving is too early to listen to Christmas music, however, I can’t blame people for doing it, especially this year. Last year’s Christmas was dissapointing to say the least. Covid sort of sucked the fun out of the holiday season, so this year, I feel people are taking extra steps to make Christmas extra special. Listening to Christmas music is a method to prolong the Christmas season, since it was so short last year. I personally wouldn’t listen to Christmas music on my own before Thanksgiving, but I get the crave for the holidays. If Thanksgiving music existed, maybe these people would be listening to that instead. I personally think of Thanksgiving and Christmas as a pair, so listening to holiday music doesn’t make me specifically think of just Christmas, but rather the holiday season overall, I think some of these people may feel the same.
I understand your grievances Quinn. However, I believe the light you are shining on these problems is far too bright, and that perhaps many of your arguments are falsely constructed. You presume that Thanksgiving is neglected in the weeks prior, yet, stores are dominated with turkeys, autumn leaves, and sales on customary foods. In these regards, Thanksgiving is far from abandoned, and indeed given the customary 3 weeks prior build up you indulge in. Furthermore, please remember that Thanksgiving is a crucial entity of the “Holiday Season” celebrated around these United States, and that paraphernalia regarding the holidays incorporates Thanksgiving.
Yes yes yessss I definitely agree – for how important Thanksgiving is, it’s so underappreciated in terms of its cultural manifestations! I feel that a major reason why stores choose not to focus on Thanksgiving Is maybe because people are focused more on Black Friday! Just think of what people do on Thanksgiving! We’re so obsessed with getting the best Black Friday deals, it’s like the first thing we do as soon as we eat the Thanksgiving meal is just running to the shopping mall! 🙂 It’s really one of the flaws of having such a consumerist culture where we always search for more. I definitely agree with your solutions – let’s give thanksgiving a culture of its own! While I’m wondering what Thanksgiving music would look like (maybe a couple of Turkey gobble remixes here and there), let’s try to spread the message!
I totally have to agree with you. My family tries to make a point of acknowledging Thanksgiving by putting out some fall decorations on the porch and hanging up a fall themed wreath once we take down the Halloween decor. But it seems like my neighbors completely neglect this holiday as I have seen Crhistmas lights and wreaths going up as soon as November 1st. It’s sad to see such a beautiful holiday get shoved aside in favor of it’s more popular counterpart. I’d also really enjoy some Thanksgiving themed music especially since I don’t think I’ve heard it before. There is so much potential for it because it’s an area that no one has ventured to before. Overall, I’m glad to see someone raising awareness to a problem that seems to plague American households everywhere.
Although Thanksgiving has already passed, it is very easy to see how Thanksgiving is clearly in Christmas’ shadow. Christmas creates this buzz, this jolly mood that Thanksgiving simply cannot compete with. Furthermore, Halloween is a very fun holiday and there is always a lot to do, plus free candy. Looming in the midst of both these two Holidays it’s easy to see how Thanksgiving can be unappreciated. I think it’s important to spread awareness about this because Thanksgiving is great. Family reunites, there’s always amazing food and there are some amazing shopping sales.