The sweet holidays start up in October for Halloween and end in April with Easter. It is a lovely trail consisting of candy, turkey, candy, champagne, candy, Irish alcohol and ending with candy once more (and maybe a dyed egg or two).

However, the king of all of these holidays is Christmas, as simply labeling it under “candy” is a disservice. Sure, you get stocking-stuffer candy to rival that of Halloween, Valentine’s Day and Easter, but you also get the feast from Thanksgiving and a whole new factor added into the mix: presents.

It makes sense that people are excited for the season of giving to get started—so excited, in fact, that many people choose to start celebrating it as early as possible, potentially overshadowing the holidays around it.

This argument starts up every year around this time. It starts with Christmas decorations appearing in stores as early as mid-October. Halloween Heads get vocal about the disrespect toward their big holiday, and it only increases as the decorations begin to make their way out of the store and onto people’s houses and lawns.

Holiday-affiliation aside, are these people right to be miffed?

Christmas is my favorite holiday by a wide margin, and if I could, I would be listening to Christmas carols in March and setting up my Christmas tree in August. But I refrain because I like to keep it special, concentrating all of my holiday cheer into the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas day itself.

But that is just one person’s opinion. What do the other students and staff at UNC Wilmington think about the timeliness of putting up Christmas decorations? How early is too early? Is there even such a thing as being “too early?”

The Seahawk asked the question, and here are some answers:

“I guess a reasonable answer would be after Halloween, in early November. I don’t think a month is enough to enjoy the decorations and everything. I don’t think you should have to wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate. But I do think before Halloween is too excessive.” – Lily Greeves, Freshman, Communication Studies

“Me personally, I don’t care too much. I feel like anybody at any given time should be able to decorate their house. Seeing as they pay for their rent on their own, they should be able to live the life they choose. And that we’re in America. But, that being said, I feel like you should give a little bit of courtesy time to Thanksgiving. Maybe a week after Thanksgiving is a good time to decorate… That’s just my personal preference.” – Charlie Cruz, Junior, Nursing

“I think if you put up your decorations before Thanksgiving, it’s unfortunate because you’re skipping over a period where you should be thankful for the things you already have, and I believe that the Christmas season has become a capitalist scheme to make you consume more and more and want to take more and more rather than celebrate the traditions of Christianity.” – Sophie Fowler, Senior, Film Studies

“I think it’s the first weekend after Thanksgiving. Christmas music follows. No Christmas music before Thanksgiving. I’m a firm believer in making every holiday count.” – Maria Ramirez, University College Academic Advisor and University Seminar Instructor

“Although this may be an unpopular opinion, I believe that you can decorate your home for the holidays any time of the year. Literally, any time you want. It’s cheerful and uplifting. People love to do it because it is special and it makes the year more bearable. So, people should let other people have fun and decorate whenever they feel it necessary. Don’t put a time limit on cheer.” – Sami Dickerson, Senior, Public Health, The Seahawk Editor-in-Chief

There are a variety of answers here, ranging from a month to, well, forever. But at the end of the day, it all comes down to personal choice, and it is clear to see that from the answers down here.

When do you think is a reasonable time to put up Christmas decorations? Answer our poll and leave a comment below!

When should you put up Christmas/holiday decorations?

• Before Halloween
• After Halloween
• After Thanksgiving
• On Christmas Eve
• "Put up? They're always on!"
• Never
• Just don't care

View Results

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