Around this time every year, the topic of when is it considered appropriate to start celebrating Christmas comes up, and 2022 is no different. However, more and more people are seemingly supporting the call to start the festivities early.
On Friday, Dolly Parton and Jimmy Fallon released a humorous duet titled "Almost Too Early For Christmas" in which they sing about getting into the holiday spirit while Halloween decorations are still up.
The song came on the heels of Mariah Carey trying to jumpstart Yuletide feelings with a video she shared on her social media at midnight on November 1. The clip shows the singer's attire transform from a witch costume to a Santa Claus outfit while she declares, "It's time!" and her famous hit "All I Want for Christmas Is You" begins playing.
But rather than a large backlash to such efforts to rush past the rest of autumn and Thanksgiving, many social media users have responded with messages of support. Carey fans filled the comment section of her post with gushing praise, and "All I Want for Christmas Is You" quickly reentered Spotify's global charts.
One possible reason for people seeking the emotional warmth of the holidays could be escapism from the stresses of everyday life, according to some professionals with knowledge on the topic. The coronavirus in particular led many people to reach for candy canes and twinkling lights earlier than usual.
"The pandemic hits, and everybody's like, 'I'm just gonna do what I want to do,'" Dr. Gwen Nisbett, an associate professor at the University of North Texas who closely follows pop culture, told Newsweek.
"People are hungry for good news and a chance to shake off the shambles, but I think it goes deeper than simply offering an excuse for a party," Kenneth Wong, an associate professor of marketing at Canada's Queen's University, told Newsweek.
Wong cited politics, the economy and social issues as some of the reasons why people's spirits may be in the doldrums.
"So I think we all yearn for a break. It didn't have to be Xmas but whoever was FIRST to find a reasonable way to reunite us about something would get a lot of attention," he wrote in an email. "It just happened that Xmas was a convenient way of saying 'let's have a truce etc.' It was like Woodstock...yes a great concept and lineup, but the seeds for its success lay in the social climate of the times."
Nisbett said celebrating Christmas early could be considered a "guilty pleasure" by some, and companies have responded for those looking to fulfill such desires. She mentioned the October 21 launch of Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas—which saw the release of half a dozen new holiday movies—as an example.
"In stressful times, people will fall back on content that's familiar content and that makes them happy," Nisbett said. "From a business aspect, that's great: If people will want this stuff, they'll start launching it."
Nisbett also said it's not just older generations embracing the idea of extended holiday celebrations. She said that "it's more younger people as well and a broad spectrum of different types of folks."
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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