Halloween Thanksgiving Christmas

by Ebun Lawore, staff writer

Illustration by Audrey Haber

As usual, I am confused. It is the beginning of November, and I do not know what time of year it is. I just put my halloween wigs to rest, yet I go to sleep on edge, not knowing if I’ll wake up to a turkey screeching in my ear, or jingle bells jingling in the distance. 

When is Halloween, when is Thanksgiving, and when is Christmas? Yes, they all have their respective official dates, but it feels as though everyone begins to celebrate each holiday at different times. Some start their Halloween in September, while some claim the entirety of fall to be Christmas. Some begin their Christmas on November first, trampling over Thanksgiving in the process. I went around campus and asked various Oberlin students questions in order to discover the truth: when do these holidays end, and when do they begin? 

Rank each holiday from best to worst. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. 

Catherine Baptiste (second year): I would say Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas,

Daniel Chain (fourth year): I might even go Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas.

Kisa Biely (fourth year): Christmas number one, obviously. Thanksgiving. Halloween

Madisyn Burke (third year): For me Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas. 

What do you think influences your feelings about these holidays? 

Catherine: I love Halloween because I am artsy and gay, and so dressing up as people I'm not is really fun, and making my costumes is also really fun. I also really enjoy Halloween movies in the fall. As for Thanksgiving, my family's Thanksgiving is really lit, so I think I'm kind of biased, because I know not a lot of people have super big, party-esque Thanksgivings. Also, I get to see a lot of family that I haven't seen in a really long time. [I like] Christmas, mostly because Christmas is my mom's favorite holiday, so it's just, like, a really good vibe because of that. 

Daniel: Oh, I just get very anxious when coming up with gifts to give people. I really like dressing up, but more than anything I love eating a huge meal at like 4:00 PM. 

Kisa: I love magic, and Christmas is the only holiday where magic is embedded into the event.

Madisyn: What about Halloween?

Kisa: Halloween is like spooky magic though. This is like magic. Like magic and elves and presents and snow.

Madisyn: I think I like Halloween more because I'm a theater kid, and I like to dress up for things. It allows me to be creative with what I'm dressing up as, and I can be whoever I want. [As for] Thanksgiving, I really like to eat food. And then for Christmas, my family kind of celebrates Christmas, but not really. So, like, I think it's a really cool holiday, we just don't do gifts or anything like that. I don't have that much experience [with] Christmas. 

When do you think Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas seasons begin and end?

Catherine: I personally think that Halloween season begins when October starts.

Daniel: Agreed.

Catherine: And then it ends when Halloweekend is over.

Daniel: Agreed. 

Catherine: And then I think from then on, it's just like fall/Thanksgiving. And then after Black Friday is when Christmas starts.

Daniel: Completely agree.

Kisa: Halloween starts whenever it gets cold. Thanksgiving is on Thanksgiving. It does not need more time than that. And then Christmas is the Monday after Thanksgiving.

Madisyn: Halloween starts October 1st. Thanksgiving is on Thanksgiving. And Christmas is after Thanksgiving.

Would you get rid of any of these holidays?

Catherine: Um, like, no. I think if I had to get rid of one of them, [it would maybe be]Christmas, but that feels really disrespectful to my mom.

Daniel: Yeah. I think there's been a cultural redefining of Thanksgiving where we're not using it as a creation myth for America. It's just like a time to reflect and enjoy the harvest.

Kisa: Well, I wish we could just share a meal with the people we love without it being the connotation of Thanksgiving. Which I honestly feel like we can do. So I would get rid of Thanksgiving.

How do you think the general public would rank these holidays from best to worst? (in America) 

Madisyn: Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween. 

Kisa: Yeah. I just think that people love Thanksgiving, like the broader American public loves Thanksgiving.

What do you think influences the general public's ideas on these holidays?.

Catherine: I don't wanna be, like, an Oberlin student, but [I think] capitalism. Holidays get turned into some sort of financial thing in some way, shape, or form. Christmas is very obvious. It’s like, oh, make your Christmas lists with 70 different things on it that are all over $50.  Thanksgiving is a lot less capitalistic to me, because it's a very communal experience. But I do think, for a lot of people, having Thanksgiving dinner can be a status symbol. And then Halloween, I don't know, [it can be] like polyester Spirit Halloween costumes. 

Daniel: I would say pop divas. I just think the attention and presence of the pop divas influences which holiday gets the most love.

So Christmas? 

Daniel: Yes. 

So Mariah Carey? 

Daniel: So Mariah Carey.

And then you think about like, who's released a good Halloween song lately? No one, which is why Christmas is still on top. Back then they had “the Monster Mash”, and even then that was competing with “Baby it's cold outside.” I think it's because if you've got a pop star, you're gonna have them do a Christmas song. It's a tradition. And you might have them do a Halloween concept. You get to dress them up like a zombie, but it is still a little tacky. So you want to place your bets on Christmas. You're never gonna have musical artists do a Thanksgiving song, because the truth is, if you do Thanksgiving as a concept, you either have to go into colonialism or earnestness, which are not going to sell.

Kisa: Santa. 

Madisyn: I would say stores and the way that they advertise. For example, Target is already putting out Christmas commercials. And for Thanksgiving, everyone's like, okay, where's the cheapest Turkey?

It's all capitalistic. But it’s also just personal family tradition. 

Do you have any other comments that you'd like to make?

Madisyn: I think that everyone should celebrate these holidays in the way that calls to them.  There's no specific way to celebrate them, because we're all just celebrating a time that's a little bit different from our regular lives. And I think that's beautiful.

Kisa: I think that people should believe in Santa because he's definitely real. Yes, he's definitely real. You're laughing, and I'm completely serious.