He Said: It’s Christmas season people!

Michaels has decorations, Macy’s has sweaters and it’s only November. Collectively, society has pushed forward the official start of the holiday season, and I couldn’t be happier.

Sure, Halloween and Thanksgiving are fast approaching, but the significance is nowhere near the December holidays. Not to mention Thanksgiving is the Celebration of Native Americans helping us out by providing a feast and Pilgrims returning the favor by gifting them blankets laced with smallpox; what a time to celebrate!

The countless fillings from colossal amounts of sugar and clogged arteries from the gravy soaked turkey during Thanksgiving dinner do not come close to the substantial joy of the gift giving festivities the holidays bring. Whether you realize it or not, society has been condoning the earlier start of the holidays for ages. Schools giving breaks over two weeks long, radio stations designated to play just Christmas music, all in an effort to start the celebration sooner.

Spiritual meanings behind these Holidays (Jesus’ birthday, celebration of lights, celebration of harvest) annul the idea of celebrating meaningless eras by distributing candy and feasting on birds. Also, the idea of Trick-or-Treating is beyond suspicious. Strangers passing out edibles to your children, I mean name one another this is ok: never. Your infants are literally digesting substances rationed out by adults you do not know.

Listen, the issue is not that Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are more important than the fall festivities; it’s the reasoning behind them. Celebrating holidays surrounding Satan himself and passing out candy is just absurd. So, if you are with me, rip down those god awful decorations, turn all your lights off on Trick-or-Treat night and slap some lights up on your house and stick gifts under your tree. It’s Christmas season people!

She Said: ‘Tis not the season

Thirty minutes into dinner– at the restaurant you didn’t want to go to in the first place– it happens. Inevitably, the Christmas music plays through the overhead speakers just loud enough to be heard, even though autumn is still in it’s midst. The urge to slam down your fork and knife and walk away from your half-eaten meal is on the rise, and the bitterness towards the upcoming season grows to be evermore present. ‘Tis the season for being reminded of the December bringing up the rear– three months in advance.

Despite it only being November, department stores, restaurants and probably even someone in your neighborhood are already bringing out their holiday decorations and apparel early; As if 2016 wasn’t hard enough, people are now having to face their annual holiday dread and society-induced traditions earlier than ever before.

Christmas originally celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ. Hanukkah is an eight day celebration to commemorate the Jewish people who revolted against oppressors. Kwanzaa was established in 1966 to celebrate African heritage within African American culture. Over the years, however, these major holidays have become more associated with the practice of gift-giving than the original spiritual celebration. This is partly incited by stores and shops encouraging the practice of buying gifts farther in advance each year. Why, exactly?

I’ll tell you why– money.

“Christmas shopping season” in America can start as early as mid-September, and not even end until January (buyersecon.org). Department stores’ annual net gain is typically 45 to 65 percent made up of revenue from the holiday season. Outrageous.

So no, these stores are only playing with consumers in order to gain more money, (for the high-up positions might I add, not the people who actually work in the store– their pay, for the most part stays the same) not to actually celebrate the holidays.

According to fundivo.com, in 2015, 69 percent of Americans were already holiday shopping between September and November and the U.S. spent approximately $630 billion on gifts. To put that in perspective, Bill Gates is only worth $81.9 billion.

This outrageous, growing materialism is what’s pushing the commencement of holiday festivities to start sooner and lose traditional value.

It’s time for retailers to put away Christmas tree displays and save layaway sales until after Thanksgiving– sales and celebrations should not be starting one, or even two months before the actual day. It’s perfectly understandable to be excited for the holiday season, but I want to be able to go in a store without having to pass festive decorations and holiday sale-signs two months before Dec. 25. Let me be spooky and thankful before I have to deck the halls.