I believe it is too early to start putting out Christmas decorations in stores.
Christmas can be a stressful time for college students. Money is often very tight and we have to balance our time studying for finals, working and traveling home to see family. Christmas is also a cause of debt; many stores offer layaway and credit card options that they do not offer throughout the rest year.
I think the media puts a great deal of pressure to out decorate and out bake what your neighbors do, major television networks shows like the ‘Great Holiday Bake Off’ that starts airing in the months leading up to Christmas amps up the stress.
I think that stores create FOMO, or fear of missing out, by putting out Christmas decorations before Halloween.
By not buying the newest fanciest decorations it can start to feel like you have less Christmas spirit or are less of a Christian.
There is also a great deal of pressure to buy the best present for friends and family even if it is out of budget. Buying gifts out of budget and paying with credit cards can really hurt college students. Student credit cards often have high interests and can leave students with debt that lasts for years.
The focus of the holiday used to be spending time with your family, helping those in need and religious traditions. Now Christmas has become a reason to get into fist fights over TVs at 6 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving, instead of sleeping off grandma’s turkey and apple pie.
Now Christmas and Thanksgiving have become days you try to outdo your relatives on how much you spend.
Sales associates are being told to come earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving night as major retailer stores start opening after lunch. That means over worked underpaid associates get stuck breaking up brawls over Tickle-Me-Elmo’s when they would rather be at home wishing they had worn yoga pants to dinner and not skinny jeans.
I think putting Christmas decorations up before Halloween just feeds in to retail stores money grab. We should enjoy holidays one day at a time.
Spending time with our families should be more important then stressing about whether or not our Christmas tree was perfectly decorated.
Jessica is in the Digital Arts program and previously graduated with an AA in Liberal Arts and a Bakery Certificate. She enjoys cooking, hiking with her dog, Daisy, taking pictures and spending time with her family.
Categories: Editorials, Opinion
