The Christmas season is a wonderful time of the year and full of traditions. Once everyone’s finished their Thanksgiving the next day Christmas is on their minds. For most, at the top of the list is setting up a Christmas tree. Dating back to the Middle Ages, evergreen trees were decorated for Christmas. Christmas is full of symbolism and family traditions. The Christmas tree is often seen as a symbol of hope because its needles stay green throughout the holiday season. While most people decorate a Christmas tree for the holidays, when to set up the tree can be fairly controversial.
Opinions may vary on when it is appropriate to start celebrating the Christmas holiday.
Karson Harbinson, a junior at DHS believes that “it is better to set up the Christmas tree closer to Christmas as it is more important to that holiday.” His family sets up the Christmas tree well into December because “Thanksgiving is also an important holiday and it should be its own thing and not have any Christmas traditions tied up to it.” Karson likes the idea of keeping the Thanksgiving traditions and Christmas traditions separate.
In contrast, Sadie Hanson, a junior at DHS, said that this year they set up their Christmas tree with her family the day before Thanksgiving for a couple of different reasons. She believes this is the right time because “It’s a good thing to do when all your families are already in town.” Hanson even said that “when Thanksgiving is over it’s automatically Christmas. ” This is a part of Sadie’s family tradition.
Spencer Cone, a teacher at DHS sets up his Christmas tree with his family just a little later. This year his family set it up a week after Thanksgiving. Cone said, “I am trying to keep the same traditions as my parents had since I like the idea of having it up for like the whole bridge season.” Cone agrees with Sadie Hanson in saying that he loves Thanksgiving, “but once it is over it’s time for Christmas.”
Linus Prothero, a junior at DHS, usually sets his Christmas tree up with his family the day after Thanksgiving. His mom and grandma go shopping and he sets up the tree with his sister and dad. They use the same synthetic tree every year so that they don’t have to go hunting for a tree. In the future, when he is setting his traditions, he thinks that a better time to set the tree up may be a few weeks before Christmas.
Some people don’t set up a Christmas tree every year. Valeria Skarbek, a teacher at DHS says, “…I must warn you I’m kind of a Grinch and dislike Christmas. I don’t like the commercialism or the family drama I used to have when I was back in Maryland. I do like to have my own children help shop for an adopted family each year so they learn to give to others and I encourage them to only ask Santa for 1-2 gifts (not a ton, we don’t need all the stuff in our house!) We don’t always set up a tree because we usually spend Christmas in Missouri with my husband’s family so we’re not home much to enjoy it. If we do set one up, it’s usually the weekend after Thanksgiving.”
In the end, setting up a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving or the day before Christmas doesn’t really matter. What matters is the special moments that are created from a special time of the year. Ms. Skarbek, Sadie, Mr. Cone and Linus all have one thing in common: Christmas is made special from the moments you have with your family, not just from the Christmas tree. For many, getting a tree, setting it up, and hanging special ornaments can bring family and friends together. The celebration of Christmas often begins with setting up the Christmas tree and it is the centerpiece in most people’s homes during this special time of year.
