Back in mid October, many of us were trying to figure out which costume we wanted to wear for Halloween. Between checking out costumes online and watching football, commercials for the Christmas Barbie doll came on the screen. Grocery stores advertised their Christmas decorations and special holiday sales while selling pumpkins for Halloween. It seems as though every year, the holiday season comes earlier than the previous year. Why is this?

The main reason Christmas comes earlier and earlier is for advertising. Businesses want to get their product out there earlier so that they can make more sales and therefore more profit, but is this really what the season is about?

Christmas is a time to come together as a family and show love to one another. Gifts are just part of showing that we care for someone. In reality, being together with family members is the true essence of Christmas. It gives us time off from school, work, and sports to gather and celebrate the birth of the most prominent symbol of love, Jesus. Even if you aren’t Catholic, Christmas is still a time to relax and show your love to your family and friends.

Now, since Christmas is this time of joy and happiness, why is it a bad thing to have it come a little earlier? In an extreme situation, if we celebrated Christmas Season every day, how fun would that be? There is no way that all of us can love and be nice to people 365 days a year, that’s crazy talk! It is difficult to be nice all the time for the month of December, let alone the entire week before Christmas. If Christmas comes too early, we will lose all perception of the spirit of the season. Sure, it’s fun to buy gifts for family and friends, but waiting for Christmas gives us something awesome to look forward to: sharing love with one another.