Walking down M Street with a friend on Sunday afternoon on my way to Barnes & Noble, I found myself with an extra spring in my step, a nicer demeanor towards strangers and a particular attention to small children and dogs of all shapes and sizes. Something about the crispness in the air and the warmth exuding from shops like Pottery Barn and the sight of rosy-cheeked shoppers in matching hat and scarf ensembles had me bubbling with good cheer.
My happiness could have been due to a number of things: I had just finished my midterms, I have a great Thanksgiving planned, I have my whole life ahead of me, etc. However, all I could confirm was that it was just that time again-Christmas in mid-November.
Upon entering Barnes & Noble I decided to purchase the Carpenters’ Christmas album. When I went to the counter to buy the CD, the clerk applauded my choice and exclaimed that from Monday until the first of January, Barnes & Noble would be playing non-stop Christmas tunes from all over the world. At this, my friend groaned, not surprisingly, considering she hails from the ever consumer-centric New York City.
After polling my classmates and friends, I found that most people, New Yorkers or not, feel this resentment for Christmas in mid-November.
“One holiday at a time,” one disgruntled individual said.
My roommate shared a similar feeling.
“It is sick that America constantly has a holiday on its mind,” she said. “The end of one only means a beginning to the next in marketing terms. That’s not what Christmas is about.”
I sensed a feeling that most of the people that I talked to felt manipulated by the money-making ploys of retail companies.
And while I recognize that turning Christmas into a money-making scheme goes against the true purpose of the holiday, I do think it is redeemable in some sense.
During my Sunday stint at Barnes & Noble, I spontaneously decided to make an extensive Christmas list, and on my way back to campus I gave money to every man with a cup from 31st Street to Wisemiller’s. I could have sworn that one of them, on the corner of Prospect and Wisconsin, was Santa Claus, Miracle on 34th Street style.
If there is one benefit to Christmas in mid-November, it is that the premature spirit of the season allowed me to take a much needed break from thinking about my classes, pending decisions, my future, my lot in life, my general self-absorption and think about others for a change.
