Recently, I went on a grocery shopping trip with some friends and as we were heading to check out, we found ourselves in the holiday section. The section had mostly Halloween decorations and even Christmas Decorations. While plenty of people love to have their holiday decorations up as soon as summer ends, this brings up the question of when is it too early to start celebrating holidays? 

Technically, it is still summer, though the Fall equinox is fast approaching. If basing it off of when the Starbuck Pumpkin Spice Latte returned, it has been fall since August 24th. When I think of fall, I think of several distinct aspects; leaves changing color, going to pumpkin patches, and Halloween. Decorations, themed snacks, and even haunted houses all pop up and signify that Halloween is coming, it is time to start celebrating. Personally, I absolutely love Halloween, it is my favorite holiday. I like that since Halloween stores and decorations are out now, I have time to plan my costume and get into the “spooky season”. But, I do have my limitations with  Christmas. In my opinion, Christmas music and movies are not to be played until after Thanksgiving, nor is the Christmas tree to be put up until December. Halloween and Thanksgiving have yet to happen, and until then, why start the holiday craze so early? 

I know,  there is no “size-fits-all” time to start celebrating holidays. For some people, they love the countdown, the preemptive decorating and preparation for the holidays. For others, they want to celebrate within the holiday’s actual designated time and group Thanksgiving with Christmas shopping on Black Friday. From an economical standpoint, starting holiday preparations early makes sense. There are advantages and disadvantages to both sides, like do you really want a big Christmas tree in the living room from November till well into the next year when you realize it’s been up for too long? 

It seems this is not a yes or no answer, it’s all subjective to the person’s holiday traditions. As much as it surprises me  to see Christmas decorations being sold already, I’m sure other people are overjoyed. No matter when you start celebrating the upcoming holidays, don’t forget to enjoy the last few days of summer!