When should Santa Claus come to town?
The age old debate of when to start celebrating the holiday season
FILE PHOTO: Christmas lights brighten the night on Saint Andrews Way in Towamencin Twp. Although this house is hiding at the top of a cul de sac, you can see its lights from a mile away. The lawn has characters from your favorite Christmas movies, like the Grinch and even a life-sized Santa on the front porch.
It’s early December, and the holiday season can hardly be awaited; you are standing out in your neighborhood and find the familiar site of that jolly neighbor who already has their Christmas decorations on full display, instantly bringing the spirit of the most wonderful time of the year, when perhaps your family is still biding their time before getting festive.
The holiday season is celebrated in so many different ways, and often the highlight of one’s year is the enthusiasm of this time. Although when the holiday season actually starts is up to interpretation, with some people getting festive before Thanksgiving. I decided to ask around North Penn to see when and how people start getting festive.
An early bird example of someone starting the holiday season right after Thanksgiving would be Mr. Scott Swindells in the English Department.
“I am a creature of habit, I think, especially as I get older. I really like putting up all my Christmas lights the day before Thanksgiving, but I don’t turn them on. Then, when it gets dark right after Thanksgiving dinner, I flip the switch like Clark W. Griswold and light up the night, kicking off the holiday season for me,” Swindells cheerfully explained.
North Penn technology teacher Mr. Andrew Daubert warmly shared how he spends his holiday season fondly remembering his late grandfather.
“One of the highlights of the time leading up to the holidays for me is when I get together with my dad’s side of the family a few days before Christmas. We get together on the date of my grandfather’s birthday who was born a few days before Christmas. He was an amazing man being that left a major impact on me and my family. My dad’s whole side of the family gets together on my grandfather’s birthday and we all order takeout from a few places my grandfather loved and eat it at my uncle’s house. It may sound basic, but we do it to remember him and my grandmother and it is one of my favorite days of the year, simply being together with the people I love, eating good food, and remembering those who have passed that meant so much to us,” Daubert stated.