Christmas season seems to start earlier every year, but should it? We asked Lincoln students when they think Christmas season should start, and the overall consensus was that it should begin after Thanksgiving.

We often see Christmas themed goods sold in stores as early as before Halloween, and there’s a reason corporations do this. The phenomenon of an early Christmas season has a real name, “Christmas Creep”. This is something businesses (specifically large corporations) use to sell more of their Christmas merchandise.

CP Media (a media marketing agency specializing in retail marketing) advises businesses to start advertising for Christmas as early as September to increase sales, because Christmas shopping can happen 2-3 months before Christmas. Another holiday that is related directly to Christmas is Black Friday. Black Friday generally marks the start of Christmas shopping in America. Stores use this day to promote themselves and offer sales on most items, encouraging mass consumption of all kinds of products. The National Retail Federation predicted that in 2022, the average American would spend $832.84 on holiday items. NPR news also shared that people in the US typically spend over $800 on Black Friday. Many more popular stores begin advertising for Christmas even before Black Friday, though it is seen by most as the start of Christmas.

Large retailers typically begin their Christmas season in late October or early November, two full months before Christmas.  According to Romper.com, Target, Walmart, and Nordstrom put out their Christmas products in October. On Nordstrom’s website they shared a list of their holiday events this year. The first was an event hosted by interior designers on Christmas decorations on October 27. In-store gifting stations became available on November 4 as well.

Americans who celebrate this holiday have been keeping up with the early Christmas promotions as well. A poll by Axios Local showed that 55.5% of Americans put up their Christmas trees the day after Thanksgiving. 17% of people responded that they put up their tree in early December, and even fewer said mid-late December.

Forbes magazine recommends buying your Christmas tree at the end of November or beginning of December for the best prices and style of tree. Traditions like this have been pushed earlier, following the earlier openings of Christmas tree farms. Christmas lights are often seen decorating houses all over the country as soon as the beginning of November, after Halloween décor has been taken down.

Earlier advertisements and sales of holiday items pressures consumers to purchase their holiday (typically Christmas because it is more publicized) items earlier. This data gets back to companies who then plan to promote Christmas even earlier the following year because they know consumers will buy their products that early. The cycle of early Christmas ads motivating people to buy holiday products, then that information enforcing companies to start selling their holiday things earlier leads to the Christmas marketing season beginning sooner every year. Another reason Americans may begin to celebrate Christmas earlier is because nearly all people who celebrate it love Christmas and have many happy memories of it, making them anxious for the season to begin.

When asked for her thoughts on the timing of Christmas celebrations, Lincoln junior Carson Jones said “I think Christmas season should start whenever somebody wants it to, because it’s not necessarily about the holiday–it’s about the feeling of the season, being connected with people. But also, I feel like Christmas would start a lot later for people without stores and businesses advertising it, so I think whatever time feels right for you without the pressure of capitalism.”

The New York Times and Pew Research Center report that 90% Americans celebrate Christmas, making it the most widely celebrated religious holiday. Because it is so widespread, companies tend to focus on Christmas as it approaches, ignoring the other holidays that happen at that time and diminishing their celebrations.

Because the season of Christmas shopping begins so early, people are also beginning to celebrate it earlier. Stores use Christmas to squeeze as much money as they can from the season and have encouraged such an early start to Christmas. Students at Lincoln say Christmas season shouldn’t start before Thanksgiving – when do you think it should start? Leave a comment with your thoughts.

Read more of Lincoln students’ thoughts below:

Sera Figlozzi (10)

“I think it should start after Thanksgiving because that’s like when all the fall stuff is over, so you don’t have to deal with fall stuff.”

Emma Mendez (11)

“I think it should start after Thanksgiving. I think a month is long enough to celebrate a holiday. If you celebrate for too long, it’s just not special anymore.”

Jillian Zaske (10)

“I think Christmas should start December 1st because everything before that is just November.”

Rae Rae Fryer (12)

“I think Christmas should start the day after Thanksgiving, so Black Friday, I think that’s the marker because that’s when things get crazy!”

Roan Krishnamurthy (10)

“I think Christmas season should start after Thanksgiving because then Christmas is the next major holiday, so you don’t have any conflicts.”

Sam Mayer (10)

“I think Christmas season should start in December, because that’s when it’s the darkest, that’s when all the lights go out.”

Olivia MacVicar (10)

“I think that it should start right after Thanksgiving because Thanksgiving is the closing of fall.”

Matthew O’Callaghan (10)

“I feel like after Thanksgiving because before that is too early and you’re taking away from the Christmas season, and you can’t drag it out for too long and that’s just weird. Plus, there’s Thanksgiving and that’s a pretty fun season so you should wait until after Thanksgiving.”