It’s a dark and cold Halloween night as you climb the steps to your house after a long night of partying hard. It is near midnight and you begin to get yourself ready for bed. Just as you lay your head to sleep, the clock beeps to signify 12:00 a.m. You begin to drift off and suddenly you spot a figure standing over you. It’s November 1st, and she’s come for you. Mariah Carrey starts to sing her signature Christmas song as she looms over your screaming body.

That may seem like an exaggeration, but a lot of people feel like Christmas music comes to get them as soon as Halloween is over. Many do not want to listen to the jolly tunes before Thanksgiving. They reject the notion that one can celebrate both Christmas and Thanksgiving at the same time. They get angry at people celebrating early, complain about the Christmas decorations in a store, and try to overall hinder the enjoyment of the holiday for others. But listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving is a perfectly okay thing to do.

For a lot of people, especially in our uncertain lives today, Christmas is a symbol of hope. They want to celebrate it as soon as possible. Brielle Paul, high school junior and Christmas music enthusiast, had this to say about celebrating Christmas early: “2020 has been a dumpster fire of a year and Christmas is the fire hose that can put it out. The parties I would have had with my friends and family have all been canceled because of COVID-19, so a little extra holiday joy is exactly what I need.” Brielle has said it well. This hectic year has been hard for many, so early Christmas music is just what the doctor ordered for a lot of people.

Radio stations are notorious for playing Christmas music weeks before the actual holiday. This year however, some have begun to play it as early as November 1st. This is no accident. An astounding majority wanted Christmas music to be played early this year. John Peake, the program director for the Los Angeles station KOST said, “We did a pretty exhaustive survey with listeners asking, ‘Is it OK to go early, do you want Christmas or holiday music early this year?’ And it was a resounding ‘Yes.’” Many people wanted Christmas music early, so if you are still in hiding, waiting for the right moment to be public about your Christmas Spotify history, don’t fret because you are not alone.

Despite what the scrooges may say, listening to festive holiday music before Thanksgiving is not a crime. It is an escape from the hardships this year has brought and brings smiles to many faces. Don’t let yourself be shamed into hiding the joy you experience from Christmas music, and don’t be somebody who shames others for their enthusiasm. Everybody has their own opinions about the etiquette of the holiday season, so let’s all just agree to calm down and let others enjoy what they would like to enjoy.