Does Christmas deserve a day or a month of celebrating?

These are the words that represent the holiday of Christmas the most.

These are the words that represent the holiday of Christmas the most.

by Patrick Lyons, Reporter

With Christmas just around the corner, the rush of shopping, wrapping and decorating commences. 

As most know, Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays of the year, with many different activities and traditions. However, some people go overboard with these traditions. 

As long as Christmas has been celebrated, there has been a debate on the amount of attention the holiday really deserves. 

In some households, days and nights are reserved for holiday activities. This could include decorating the house, watching Christmas movies, listening to Christmas music, or enjoying the many other traditions each family has. 

Families like these will have their Christmas trees up by December 1 and treat every day before Christmas as if it is Christmas Eve.  

Sophomore Brady Zirkle is one of the many people who believe Christmas should be celebrated throughout the month of December. 

“Ever since I was little, my family has taken Christmas very seriously and participated in almost every tradition possible,” said Zirkle

Ever since I was little, my family has taken Christmas very seriously and participated in almost every tradition possible

— Brady Zirkle

On the other hand, some families treat Christmas like any other holiday. There are a couple days of celebrating filled with Christmas cheer, and then it is time for a new year. 

Although these families still enjoy Christmas, most do not understand why Christmas is put on a pedestal and celebrated so much more heavily than every other holiday.

Another Linganore student, freshman Clay Frazier, falls into this latter group.

“I represent this group of people because my family has never been very big on the idea of Christmas. We still celebrate the holiday, but since we used to live in Florida, it never felt like it was truly Christmas,” said Frazier.

Like Frazier, many who live in climates that do not feature snow or cold winter weather might not celebrate Christmas to the same extent as others. Christmas is all about that winter holiday feeling, and if it is warm and sunny out, then it just does not feel the same.

A snowy afternoon in the winter enhances the Christmas spirit and encourages celebration. (Creative Commons)

Furthermore, a big contributing factor to that Christmas time feeling is the presence of snow. Snow attracts the younger generation by supplying them with activities like building snowmen, having snowball fights, or creating snow angels. 

If one lives somewhere where it consistently snows during winter time, then that area is almost guaranteed to be more invested in Christmas celebrations.

In my opinion, no matter where you live or how cold it is during Christmas time, Christmas always deserves a month of celebrating. Christmas is just a special holiday compared to the others and has so much more to offer than a single-day holiday.

Thanksgiving involves making a big feast, Halloween means putting up lights and decorating and Valentines Day entails buying candy or gifts for loved ones. 

Christmas, on the other hand, has all of this put together, along with a down-to-earth appreciation of one’s family and friends. That is why it has deservedly become the predominant holiday of the year.