The passion behind seasonal traditions.
Written by Ava Fuduric
The holidays are on the way and people all over the world are gearing up to celebrate. Many will adorn their homes with elaborate décor – twinkling lights, trees and ornaments carefully placed to capture the season's spirit at just the right moment – yet everyone has their own personal approach.
According to a 2023 nationwide study done by Lombardo Homes, around 83% of Americans will be decorating for the holidays. This festive spirit, however, often brings a flurry of disagreements over decking the halls. Should we opt for an artificial tree that lasts for years or a fresh, fragrant authentic one? Do white lights create a classic ambiance or do colorful lights bring more cheer? What about the timing? Should we hang our stockings the day after Thanksgiving or is it better to save the decorations for December?
“It smells good, and we always pick out a weird looking tree,” Novak, 21, said. “One that doesn't look perfect, like fat on the bottom, skinny at the top. A tree with personality.”
Students across Cleveland State University (CSU)’s campus seem to have different perspectives when it comes to choosing trees, the “right” time to decorate and what kind of lights really showcase the seasonal spirit.
Plastic pines or forest finds?
Our first debate lies in dressing up the biggest holiday staple: a Christmas tree. The real challenge is choosing between artificial and authentic.
Lainey Novak, a senior journalism and promotional communication major at CSU, argues that real trees are the root of the holidays. She claims that the fresh scent of true pines and her family’s tradition of purposely picking an odd tree makes it worthwhile.
“It smells good, and we always pick out a weird looking tree,” Novak, 21, said. “One that doesn't look perfect, like fat on the bottom, skinny at the top. A tree with personality.”
For Novak, going to the farm to pick a tree has become a long-lasting routine that makes choosing a real tree special.
“It’s so fun to go to the tree farm. I mean, we go to the same one every year,” Novak said. “It's always a whole thing. We throw it on the top of the car, we go home and we put it up.”
Not everyone pines for the ambience of a real tree. Morgan Alten, a journalism and promotional communication major at CSU, suggests that fake trees bring a sense of simplicity to the busy season. Having the same tree makes for a quick and easy cleanup.
“I've actually had the same fake tree since we got the apartment,” Alten, 21, said. “It's tiny, so that's nice too. [It’s] easy to put away and it's not a huge thing that takes up space.”
Alten also notes that the plastic pines make for much less of a mess, reducing the hassle of picking up fallen needles.
“It doesn't shed,” Alten said. “You can put it anywhere without worrying about little things on the floor.”
Festive flair: when to time the holiday decorating
Deciding the appropriate time to decorate sparks an equal amount of discourse when it comes to the holiday season. While many eagerly hang garlands and ornaments as soon as the last Thanksgiving leftovers are cleared, others choose to revel in the magic of a different tradition.
David Swinarski, a senior studying sports management at CSU, grew up with the tradition of waiting until Christmas Eve to decorate. Swinarski and his family embraced the thrill of turning the house into a winter wonderland overnight.
“Since we were little, my family liked to decorate right on Christmas Eve,” Swinarski, 21, said. “So whenever we wake up in the morning, it'd be a magical thing.”
Swinarski notes that his father started this tradition, aiming to make Christmas feel more special by avoiding a drawn-out decorating process.
“My dad just felt like it was more special to have it be on Christmas,” Swinarski said. “Everything just kind of appeared, instead of it being throughout December or whenever people start.”
On the other hand, other families prefer to decorate earlier, extending the festivities and enjoying the holiday spirit for longer. In addition to getting a real tree for Christmas, Novak says her family dives into decorating as soon as Thanksgiving is over.
“We've always done it right after Thanksgiving,” Novak said. “We've never been an ‘in the middle of December’ decorating family.”
For Novak, early decorating is all about extending the holiday magic.
“It needs to be a bulk of, like half of November, all of December, and then we leave it up until after New Year's,” Novak said.
The true glow of the gifting season
Decorating with lights is what really makes the season sparkle. It sets a mood that reflects personal style and tradition, but do white lights or colored lights make the magic brighter?
When it comes to illuminating the house, Novak shared that her family opts for a warm, white light.
“I just don't think we've ever had colored lights,” Novak said. “I prefer white lights on a tree personally.”
According to her, the white lights bring a sense of balance to her decorations, especially since her trees usually don’t follow a specific theme.
“Our ornaments are not very themed. It's a lot of ones we made as kids and random souvenirs, stuff like that,” Novak said. “So I think the white lights chill it out.”
However, white lights aren’t always the most popular option when it comes to dressing up that tree. Alten says she prefers to wrap her artificial tree in colored lights. For her, it brings a sense of nostalgia from her youth.
“White is so boring,” Alten said. “The color reminds me so much of my childhood.”
Since using colored lights, Alten hasn’t looked back. In her opinion, it brings comfort and creativity to the Christmas scene.
“It's just a comforting thing. I've always used the same lights, so I guess I never thought about it,” Alten said. “It's more creative to me too. I like having color.”
As you can see, the holiday season brings great passions when it comes to decking the halls, so now the only question left is: how do you prefer to do it?
Now that we’ve unwrapped these holiday debates, it’s your turn to add a sprinkle of magic to the season, whichever way you choose.