Christmas is nearing on the calendar, and everyone is getting in the holiday spirit. Watching Christmas movies, making hot cocoa and putting up a tree are all winter pastimes that people take part in. People are in a jolly mood, and the atmosphere is filled with kindness and compassion.

   With this comes the controversial question: At what point does it become too early to start celebrating Christmas? From the people who wear Christmas sweaters in July to those who wait until the day after Thanksgiving, everyone begins their Christmas festivities at different times.

   “I love Christmas. I think it should be celebrated all year round. Christmas should take place every day,” said sophomore Simone Pfeifer. Others have extreme opinions on how early you should begin to celebrate Christmas.

“You can start celebrating Christmas any time after Thanksgiving. I understand the hype of Christmas, but I need time for Halloween and Thanksgiving,” said sophomore Claiborne Young.

   Seven out of ten people say that they begin appreciating the holidays the day after Thanksgiving. Others partake in celebrating much earlier. “I begin getting into the Christmas spirit when it is 100 days before Christmas to count down the days,” said sophomore Ari Hatcher.

   Serenitee Siao, a freshman at Newsome, says, “It is never too early to begin celebrating Christmas for the year. Christmas is life.” Some begin their Christmas shopping as early as July as they start to get into that holiday spirit.

   Numerous stores begin to put out their holiday decorations and wintertime editions well before Halloween or early Nov. For some people, this brings joy ad puts them into a festive mood. In contrast, others feel it is too early to pull out the holiday decorations, put winter edition food items on the shelves and begin their winter hobbies.

   Many believe that those who begin celebrating the holidays months before ruin the feeling of Christmas day because it does not even feel like Christmas after celebrating for many months.

   People seem to have two philosophies towards when to start acknowledging the holidays, the ones that begin their festivities on Nov. 1 and the ones that wait until the day after Thanksgiving. Then, of course, there are always the people who start celebrating the holidays much earlier or even at the last minute.

   With the holidays on the horizon, many are starting to get into the holiday spirit and celebrating with their favorite winter pastimes. So, the question still lingers: How early is too early to start celebrating Christmas?