When is it a good time?
By: DJ McGuire
Sports Editor
Well folks, it’s about that time of year again — the time when the air gets a bit colder and we have to pull out our warm clothes.
This also brings the inevitable lyrics like “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire” or “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” and houses adorned with bright lights and decorations.
Yep, Christmas already draws near.
This brings up the question, when is the proper to time to start hanging the greens and listening to this jolly music? This debate has existed since the holiday’s origins.
Many believe that right after Halloween, the holiday season just switches on and everyone should be jolly and festive.
On the other side of the spectrum, there are the Scrooges who hate Christmas altogether — and of course there are some who don’t celebrate the holiday at all.
I personally believe that a happy medium is best.
This is America though, we have rights and freedoms that no one can take away from us, including our right to celebrate any holiday.
The holiday decorations and music are simply just an extension of that celebration.
Picking the proper time to decorate can be tricky, before Halloween is way too soon, and setting up the tree on Christmas Eve is far too late.
Finding that right balance is key.
I think the proper time to pull out all the Christmas CDs and tune your station to 102.5 KEZK or 103.3 KLOU and set up the tree, is just after Thanksgiving.
If you set up your decorations before, you run the risk of fusing holidays, which is a little funky in my book.
However, I’m not totally against putting decorations up before Thanksgiving.
The reason I say this is because a lot of families will host their relatives and want their house to look in tip-top shape.
Adding the extra décor of a Christmas tree and some other decorations can really add to the experience of Thanksgiving.
Obviously stores follow this trend, because on every Black Friday it seems every major store already has all its Christmas decorations up.
This is obviously to match the tremendous Christmas sales the store has.
Radio stations, like the ones already mentioned, don’t waste any time.
Here in St.
Louis this year 102.5 KEZK was already playing Christmas music on November 1.
This was pleasant to some ears, hearing the popular tunes from artists like Mariah Carey, Andy Williams, Burl Ives and various other holiday favorites.
Of course this always poses the question, how long should I leave up my decorations? This again is a judgement call for every person and their families.
Since these decorations make your house look nice and just a bit more cheerful, most families tend to leave them up until mid-January to February.
If you are feeling lazy you can leave them until maybe even March, but by then it starts to get tacky.
It is really up to you when you decide to celebrate the holiday — if you do at all.
However, like in all things, a happy medium is best.
