The Christmas season is upon us, but some believe that it has been arriving too quickly.
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, the preparation for Christmas seems to come earlier and earlier each year. It seems the Thanksgiving holiday may soon be overshadowed by the December holidays.
Retailers seem to prepare for the season early on, and Athens is no exception. The Other Place, located at 43 S. Court St., decorated for the holiday season shortly before Thanksgiving.
“We usually start putting Christmas decorations up a little bit before Thanksgiving,” April Kox, a manager of The Other Place, said. “I was kind of hoping to wait until after Thanksgiving a little bit but the owner really wanted them up right after.”
The Other Place also participates in Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales as they try to compete with other brands.
“We also did Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday,” Knox said. “We also want to compete with those brands as well, people buy online.”
David Waterman, a freshman studying media arts and studies, wishes Christmas came slower because his birthday is in the beginning of the month.
“My birthday is Dec. 1, so I like it when people aren’t all about Christmas and it’s time for my birthday,” Waterman said. “I like to feel a little bit of separation and people don’t just lump that date in with it.”
Waterman said he thinks people should start preparing for Christmas on Dec. 10 and onward. He said he starts preparing for the holiday around Dec. 15.
“My family usually decorates the weekend after Thanksgiving dinner or maybe the next weekend after that,” Lizzie McKibben, a sophomore studying anthropology, said. “Pretty shortly after Thanksgiving, so that way we have the whole month to celebrate.”
McKibben said although Christmas time starts right after Thanksgiving, the November holiday should still have some time of its own. She and her family decorate for the holidays following the turkey dinner.
“I like Christmas after Thanksgiving because Thanksgiving is important in itself,” McKibben said. “When people mask it, I feel like they are not giving it enough time to be its own thing.”
