One of the world’s most important debates. When is the right time to start playing Christmas music? Some people say after Thanksgiving, and some people say it’s never too early. Some people start playing it on the first day of November, creating a stark contrast from the creepy, spooky music of Halloween. That’s how it was with my family, or at least some of them. My dad and I… not so much. And a lot of people seem to agree with us.

I took a survey, and people had some varying thoughts on the music of the holidays. Reece Stewart said, “I don’t want Christmas to feel rushed,” and that is a good point. Getting into the holidays too fast can get you anticipating what’s to come when you’ve still got a whole month left before the big day. “Thanksgiving comes BEFORE Christmas… I don’t want to go to bed with “Jingle bells” ringing in my head if I haven’t put my tree up.” Another good point, this one from Conrado Jocson. Christmas songs can get really annoying if you listen to them before you’re even in the holiday spirit!

But people also made a lot of good points as to why it should be played. “Christmas music calms me down,” said Emma Mullinax. For a lot of people, Christmas music helps that way. I got several responses saying how soothing it was. But I also got several responses that were similar to this one, by Emma Cooper: “I don’t really care but I think it’s annoying when people get angry about it.” People do tend to get riled up during Christmas time because of this. Emma, and everyone else who said this, you make a very good point. The majority of people who took the survey, though, said that it should be played after Thanksgiving and that nobody they knew had started playing it yet.

This debate isn’t only about the music, though. It extends to the decorations and festivities as well. And people seem to have the same opinions when it comes to those. I, myself, think that after Thanksgiving is a good time to start playing it, but that you should do whatever makes you happy. Just be mindful of the people around you when you do play it. But with Thanksgiving break coming up, people won’t have to worry about this for much longer. Happy holidays, everyone!