On November 1, the clock strikes midnight. Halloween is officially over.

In a mall somewhere, Christmas trees pop into existence. Wreaths, lights, and mistletoe appear, seemingly out of nowhere. Faint choruses of Jingle Bells and Silent Night are heard in the distance… Half the population begins to vibrate with excitement, while the other half… doesn’t.

And so the debate begins. To Christmas or not to Christmas. Living in the “Christmas dorm” on my campus has brought this issue to my attention as something that really ought to be addressed. There are those, such as my roommate, who state that Christmastime absolutely does not begin until after Thanksgiving. And then there are those for which the decorations go up the day after Halloween. The question remains: when exactly does Christmastime start? And the answer continues to elude us.

As an unbiased, objective bystander, my only goal is to discover the truth, the answer to this lifelong question. To determine if it is simply too early for my Christmas playlist on Spotify, or if I can enjoy the holidays guilt-free come November. I have talked to people on both sides of the debate to hear what they have to say.

The first one is my dear roommate, who has a deeply personal reason for her strong conviction against pre-Thanksgiving Christmastime. And that is the fact that her birthday is around Thanksgiving every year. To her, Thanksgiving should not be overlooked (and by extension, neither should her birthday). Thanksgiving is its own beautiful, wonderful family holiday, and by beginning to celebrate Christmas before it passes, one is essentially erasing the existence of such a wonderful day. Christmas and Thanksgiving, while part of the same holiday season, are two separate entities and should be treated as such, says my roommate, and many others share her sentiment. To avoid any confusion, these people are not against Christmas in general. The vast majority of them recognize Christmas as a beautiful, wonderful time of the year. In fact, possibly even the most wonderful time of the year.

As the objective bystander I am, I can absolutely see the merit in these arguments. However, it would not be fair not to allow the other side to have their say. One of my other close friends loves Christmas with every fiber of her being and would play Christmas music all year round if it was socially acceptable. And many others share this opinion. That is, simply, that Christmas time is the most wonderful time of the year. And as such, we ought to celebrate it as much as we possibly can. Okay, maybe Christmas in July is taking it a bit too far. But adding just another month on to the excitement can’t be all bad. For these people, it merely comes down to the simple fact that they just can’t wait! Christmas is exciting! So why not get into the mood early? Bring on that beautiful holiday cheer, that happiness that comes with each Christmas season, embrace it. After all, if retailers think it’s appropriate to put up Christmas trees right after Halloween, then perhaps it is not too far-fetched for us to begin the celebrations just a bit early.

As for myself? As I said, I am an objective bystander, but I do appreciate the value in both of these sentiments. I do enjoy the occasional cheery holiday tune in that oh so controversial period of time between Halloween and Thanksgiving, but at the same time, I wouldn’t say that I am quite ready to go all out with decorations and music just yet. So you could say I represent the middle ground. And I suppose I am not alone in that opinion. Thus, however, one must conclude that the answer to this age-long question still eludes us. But for now, I think we can all agree, that Christmastime is a magical, wonderful time, and that come December we can all join together and enjoy the holiday season in peace and harmony.