By: Dallin Rahlf

Picture this: it’s a crisp November evening and you’re in your car with your family and friends. You’re about to head out on the town courtesy of the GetOutPass, which, as you know, gets you free admission into dozens of entertainment attractions. Where are you heading tonight? Bowling? Ice skating? Trampoline park? Regardless, you’re with your family and it’s going to be an excellent night on the GetOutPass.

Then, you hear a faint voice in the back of the car. It’s little Timmy, a sweet and mild-mannered boy who means the world to you and would never put you in an awkward moment in front of others--until he asks, so gently, “Mom, can we listen to some Christmas music?” You check the date. It’s November 6^th. You feel all eyes on you as your shaking hand trembles towards the radio to find the Christmas music station. Do you concede and put on some Christmas tunes? Or do you stand firm in the traditions of your fathers, which clearly state that Christmas music is only to be enjoyed when the last dish of Thanksgiving dinner is put away?

Battling traditions, pressures, and fierce political standpoints, you find yourself in a situation you never dreamed so dramatic. If only there were a clear answer. If only the constitution of the United States of America addressed this and took the pressures from us. No, our forefathers were short sighted. They never thought to address this future problem when they were fighting for freedom, did they?

This is something that you and you alone must answer for yourself. Some things are better left discovered and interpreted by the individual rather than the whole. If you find yourself struggling to answer this question, lean upon my wisdom and I will help you get through the awkward void that is between Halloween and December 1^st.

First of all… you may already be annoyed with me for “skipping over” Thanksgiving. I’m not gonna be the first one in the world to say that the worst thing Thanksgiving experiences is being the holiday before the holiday of holidays. I do feel bad for Thanksgiving in a way because of that. People are just WAITING for Thanksgiving to be over so that we can move on to Christmas, baby! That’s not very fair for our turkey friends that work so hard to have the spotlight for a mere 20 some days only to have their precious time invaded by Jingle Bell Rock on the radio and the sight of Christmas trees in stores. It really is unfair, and it’s a shame, because Thanksgiving is a wonderful time that deserves praise for being a top holiday. Thanksgiving’s greatest problem is that Christmas awaits the second that massive feast is over.

I can’t say I blame us Christmas enthusiast for being that excited for Christmas. Everything about the season gets me as giddy as a schoolboy. The colors, music, weather, scenery, stories, traditions, man! It’s all awesome! Does this mean that Thanksgiving should be sapped? No, I say it does not. Thanksgiving is, essentially, the calm before the storm. It is a time centered around being thankful for what we have. Sure, it’s also centered around a controversial pilgrim and Native American relationship, but nowadays, we can emphasize the charity and goodwill of being thankful and looking out for others.

For those that want Christmas music in November… I can’t say I blame you. Christmas is, to many, the ultimate holiday. They want it to last much longer than 25 days in December. If they could, they would have it extend earlier in the year and have their Christmas decorations up starting in September. Funny thing, my parents lived in the Philippines for a couple years and they don’t have much going on holiday-wise in the latter end of the year besides Christmas, so they start decorating and having Christmas songs on the radio in September!! Wild. That’s perhaps too early for us.

Listening to Christmas music in November is not the craziest thing a person can do. If you’re excited for the season, so what?! Show it off! There’s nothing saying you can’t enjoy your favorite holiday a little earlier and guilt-free with some Christmas jams. There are so many songs to listen to in a short amount of time, so you almost NEED to start listening in November to make it through your huge playlist you’ve curated over the years.

The big thing to consider when listening to Christmas music early is to be considerate of others. I have some buddies who genuinely hate Christmas music. I get it—its overplayed, it’s the same song in 30 different versions, it’s being played in stores, in the car, on commercials, etc. Be courteous of those friends, and perhaps wait until they are out of the car to start up your Trans-Siberian Orchestra album.

For those that want no Christmas music in November… I understand you. I do. The music can get annoying and quick. If everyone is going full blast with it in November, songs can get real old before December even hits. You may not be a fan of the lights and the light-heartedness of the last holiday of the year. You may not even like Christmas movies! Which, again, is totally fine, I get it. It’s tough to have precious November taken from you.

Plus, some of you may debate that you are even MORE of a Christmas fan by choosing to wait until Thanksgiving has come and gone. You respect the time of Christmas so much that you decide to observe everything about it in its allotted time.

At the end of the day… we should do things that make us happy while being considerate to others. We’re all adults who go through very real problems in this world and have our thousand stresses every day. For some of us, the season of Christmas is so wonderfully nostalgic and happy that we can’t wait to get into the season so alleviate some of those stresses in our lives. For others, Christmas may not be such a happy time due to circumstances at home or things they’ve gone through in the past.

Let us not be ones to judge others for how they choose to observe the holiday season and enjoy the things about it.

And WHATEVER you do, be sure to use the GetOutPass to have fun with your family, regardless of the holiday season and what songs are on the radio. It’s a wonderful time to be alive! Go have fun!