As we get older, aspects of our youth begin to fade. For example, it’s not exactly socially acceptable for people my age to be trick-or-treating anymore because we would be “competing with children for candy.” Imagine opening the door to find a toddler dressed as Elsa, a third grader with a gap in his teeth dressed as a jack-o-lantern… and don’t forget that high school student expecting you to give them free candy as the parents of the earlier described fetuses look on skeptically. So societal standards have already deemed one of the main American holidays inappropriate for my age. That leaves only one sweater weather holiday left for me to look forward to: Pre-Christmas.

That’s right folks, I said PRE-Christmas. I am here to give you indisputable reasons why you should come join our side, beyond the fact that we have cookies…Yes, we’re actually already baking Christmas cookies.

1. Christmas is more aesthetic than other holidays! Don’t get me wrong, I love autumn vibes and pumpkins, but various shades of brown and orange can get tiresome, not to mention that pumpkins rot. Forget sticky cobwebs or toilet paper, wrap me up in tinsel and top me off with a star. I personally prefer the bright jewel tones of ugly christmas sweaters, fairy-lights and as foreshadowed earlier, CHRISTMAS TREES! What other holiday gives you an excuse to bring a seven-foot dying tree into your house? Not only do they hype up the upcoming season, but they also help clear your sinuses.
2. Christmas has arguably the best food of all holidays with Thanksgiving coming in a close
   second. The downside to Thanksgiving dinner is how it’s a one and done kind of deal. After one night of gorging yourself, it’s back to kale juice cleanses and lemon water. But, when it comes to Christmas, you have 12 whole days of foodie paradise leading up to the big day. I can only speak for myself, but my personal food heaven would be filled with hot cocoa, peppermint bark and stuffing.
3. Pre-Christmas is literally the “season of joy.”  Christmas is the only holiday in my memory that doesn’t have an aspect to it that kills the mood. Halloween is a holiday literally based off the idea of demons, while Thanksgiving consists of your extended family coming for your sanity. ‘Tis the season of passive aggression at dinners during which you usually end up having to baby-sit younger cousins or entertain your aunts as they alternate between telling you you’ve gained weight and filling your plate. Yeah…I think I’ll stick to my boy Rudolph.
4. My favorite part of Pre-Christmas is the fact that it is kind of a joke, though all aforementioned points are totally legitimate reasons to celebrate it. When you bump into another person at Macy’s running up to the Christmas tree displays in childlike excitement, you bond over the anticipation of Christmas. You don’t mind the passersby who watch in confusion, because they simply don’t understand the deep level of understanding that connects all Pre-Christmas fans in a circle of senseless joy.

I accept the fact that everyone has their own favorite holiday, but I can only hope that my column was able to explain why I personally love this unofficial holiday. Those who don’t share the joy of Pre-Christmas are missing out, but what else can I say but…

Oh Whale!