I know everyone is annoyed that Christmas tends to cast a shadow over Thanksgiving, however I am a participant of that.

I am that person you all hate, the one who puts Christmas music on the day after Halloween (and sometimes even before). I start decorating around the same time, and I have already watched at least a dozen Christmas movies on Netflix. But I don’t ignore Thanksgiving: in fact I put some things up for Thanksgiving as well. I just think that, as a college student who lives here the majority of my time, I get the short end of the stick when it comes to Christmas cheer, celebration, and the whole holiday season magic.

Growing up, I didn’t have those magical holidays with family like you see in movies that have resulted in making me an obsessive Christmas freak. I just think that this time of year is beautiful. You have the leaves falling, the chilly weather and cute hats and scarves that come with it, and then two holidays practically back to back that are meant to bring families together. Add on the snow, the excitement of the end of one year, and the beginning of another, and overall the season is full of joy!

If you live at home or commute, you have the opportunity to see all the lights hung on houses and the trees in the windows; you get to go to the stores and see the Christmas decorations, and you can watch Christmas movies with your family. You get the opportunity to decorate your house in December and other Christmas traditions. However, as a full-time resident of UNH, I go home for Thanksgiving and see all of the Thanksgiving decorations, then I have to come back to school and focus on final exams and papers for all of my classes.

By the time I get home for Winter Break, everything to prepare for Christmas at my house is already done. The tree is picked out and decorated by the rest of my family, the lights have been hung outside, and the stockings are ready for Santa to stuff. So I miss out on all of that magic. Therefore, I make up for it by starting the Christmas season early and trying to bring as much magic to my dorm as possible—which isn’t easy on a college campus.

Being away at college ruins the Christmas season. You lose out on vital, quality family time and finals ruin the first half of December, literally cutting out half the Christmas spirit anyone could have even bothered to muster up—because we all know it gets harder not to be a Scrooge as you get older.

So I think, instead of hating on people who start celebrating Christmas early, everyone should try to join in, be a kid for a day! Watch the Polar Express and drink hot chocolate with marshmallows while you make some paper snowflakes to hang around your room; don’t let finals ruin your Christmas spirit!