Santa wins the fight against the turkey

Christmas, a holiday traditionally taking place a month and two days after Thanksgiving, is often celebrated much earlier than expected. As the clock strikes midnight on Oct. 31, most people associate Dec. with the new Nov. and see Christmas trees placed in living rooms and inflatable reindeer standing tall on front lawns, decorated with over-the-top colored lights. As much as I love Christmas, there is no reason for it to overshadow Thanksgiving. Christmas is full of delicious food and jolly music that slaps harder than Thanksgiving music… wait, is there even Thanksgiving music?

Why are we witnessing a turkey fighting for its dear life against Santa and his elves in this holiday dispute? If we look closer, both holidays are actually very similar. Both are family-oriented, bring everyone together and involve traditions that encourage gratitude, whether it’s thanking someone for a pack of socks or saying grace. The only distinct differences I’ve seen between the two would have to be the presents, which Thanksgiving doesn’t have. And let’s be honest, presents leave most of us with that rush of excitement seeing all the boxes wrapped in glistening paper, each one calling your name. And the decorations. Oh, the thought of a cozy fire lit while hanging your stockings on the fireplace creates a warm, comforting feeling, doesn’t it?

On the other hand, I have to give it to Thanksgiving as it has that classic fall vibe. I also can’t argue with the fact that it revolves around a fan-favorite gift of all time: food, along with the Pinterest-worthy fall outfits.

Brooklin Blanks ‘26 said, “Thanksgiving is when all my family comes down and gets to hang out. Christmas most definitely overthrows Thanksgiving because of presents.”

Paige Swensen, ‘26 said, “I prefer Christmas because my cousins come home from college. I think Christmas overthrows Thanksgiving because Christmas is more about the presents, but family comes together for both occasions, so the presents are just a bonus.”

Ximena Garcia Benitez ‘26 said, “I prefer Christmas because I get to stay home and then I get super cozy. I feel like Thanksgiving is a big party, having to be awake for a long period of time. Christmas is more of a cozy holiday in my family and I like Christmas movies, the oldies like Home Alone [and] Rudolph. I’m not really into the Hallmark movies. Those make me really mad. Thanksgiving is pretty big in my family so I do think it’s a really important holiday so it does make me kinda sad to see that right after Halloween ends, there’s Christmas decor everywhere, other than Thanksgiving, which has little to no decor dedicated to the holiday.”

Honestly, if I were to choose between the two, I would have to choose Christmas just for that jolly feeling, which transports me back to my childhood nostalgia. As much as I prefer a holiday dedicated to eating food and saying thanks, I believe the start of Christmas can’t beat the feeling of counting down the days of waiting for the day itself  arrive, and in the meantime, I get to listen to “Last Christmas” by WHAM, watch my all-time favorite movie, “Home Alone 2” on the couch with my fuzzy socks on and a warm cup of hot cocoa in between my hands during my two-week winter break. That all goes to show that Santa takes the win over turkey once more.