The post-Halloween pattern is always the same. What should be a brief, quiet stretch of time is almost always interrupted by a widespread eagerness for Christmas. Even before the last autumn leaf falls, rainbow lights begin to glow, trees go up and holiday tunes start playing on every radio. Hardly a moment passes before the whole world’s already prepped for Christmas. But in our rush toward the holiday season, we fail to realize the loss of several other essential things along the way.

First of all, pushing aside a whole month in lieu of December just doesn’t bode well for me. November is still an autumn month despite a chance for snow, and with the season comes its own unique beauty: fall colors, cool temperatures and crisp air. There’s simply no reason to rush into winter when there’s still a whole month of autumn to enjoy to our heart’s content. 

Let’s not forget the holiday in between October and December: Thanksgiving, a holiday which is often overlooked in favor of Christmas. Some breathing room is required in order to properly acknowledge it rather than overshadowing it with fairy lights and Christmas trees.

There’s also the practical element to consider. Inevitably, the longer you keep your Christmas decorations up, the more work you’ll have to do to maintain them. Personally, I don’t find myself enthused at the thought of having to prolong my use of Christmas lights or deal with a tree in my house for too long.

To be clear, this isn’t an argument against Christmas. I completely understand the inclination to hurry toward a time of the year in which we’re usually happier than most other times, a time of the year characterized by childish wonder. The holiday season is something we all yearn for. Still, an early preparation only sets up an inevitable disappointment. The truth is, we all idealize Christmas in our minds to a certain extent. But when Christmas finally hits, it doesn’t really hit. Maybe it’s because we’ve burnt out all our seasonal spirit a month beforehand, maybe because we’re all growing older and losing a bit of joy. Either way, the solution is not to prolong it: it’s to make Christmas exclusive and special again, and that starts with having a little patience.

Holding back on the Christmas decorations doesn’t diminish the holiday spirit; it emphasizes it. The anticipation is a crucial part of the joy. Indeed, the best way to savor the Christmas spirit is to wait for it.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Catherine Guo at [email protected].