With the holiday season approaching, the age-old question of what the best holiday is is still ringing. 42Fifty Editors Raelyn Alvarez and Abby Geers debate whether Halloween or Christmas is the better holiday.
Raelyn: Christmas
Don’t get me wrong, I am a fall girl at heart, and I love Halloween. But when you think about the holiday season, Christmas comes to mind. It is easily the most anticipated holiday due to the joy it brings. Halloween is almost the opposite of Christmas, with fear and eerie subjects being the compelling qualities of the holiday, which isn’t a bad thing—but it simply doesn’t compare.
To start this discussion, can we talk about the exquisite music Christmas brings every year? Halloween has classic hidden music gems like “Thriller,” “Monster Mash,” “Spooky Scary Skeletons,” “This is Halloween,” and, of course, the classic horror killer anthems. And while I like all of these songs during the spooky season, what Halloween lacks is quantity. Christmas, on the other hand, has both quantity and quality with its music. I don’t want to start listing song names, because the list will never end.
Many say Christmas has not been the same since we discovered Santa does not exist (spoiler alert) and started growing up. However, I believe this mostly has to do with parents not doing the same activities with us as they used to. Yes, some things we did when we were younger may be too childish to enjoy now, but not everything.
The happiness of Christmas can remain after we grow up, surprisingly enough. When high schoolers are at an age where they can drive and buy things for themselves, we can provide those experiences for ourselves now. So, before you give up on Christmas, go splurge on Christmas gifts and watch the best Christmas movie ever created, “Elf,” with some hot cocoa; it’ll make you feel better.
Another enjoyable aspect of Christmas is how everyone celebrates it differently. Most families have unique traditions and ways of celebrating the whole month. My Christmas experience is most likely different from yours, but Christmas is supposed to be personal and meaningful, not generalized.
I can’t be the only one who loves Christmas but has a borderline hatred for winter. Boom, look how powerful Christmas is; it makes me oversee the horrid winter weather conditions. October may have the best season, but December takes the best holiday. Fellow readers, don’t bring summer into this; this is not about summer.
There. Proof that I am not the only person that agrees with this. 84% of 42Fifty’s Instagram followers favor fall over 16% who favor winter.
Christmas has continued to provide quantity and quality every year. Examples are Advent calendars, holiday music, movies, Christmas pajamas, ugly sweaters, decorations, gift giving, gift receiving, cabin socks, winter break, etc.
Halloween has traditions, movies, pajamas, and parties, too. They are also fun. But it is just not the same, and I can prove it.
Granted, I can say people have some questionable opinions at times, and polls can be dicey, but this is not one of those times. 67% for Christmas and 33% for Halloween.
To get to my final point, Halloween is a runner-up for the best holiday but ultimately falls short. Christmas wins in all categories: music, traditions, activities, and overall enjoyability. I can appreciate both holidays without question. But last time I checked, Halloween is not a part of the Holiday season, proving (again) Christmas is better because it is simply more anticipated. I don’t make the rules, I only abide by them.
Also, I don’t think we get two weeks off in October for Halloween, scratch that—we don’t even get ONE DAY.
Friendly reminder that Halloween is on a Monday this year, and we still have school the day of and after. Even the SCHOOL has its priorities straight when picking the best holiday…Case closed, goodbye.
PS: I, Raelyn Alvarez, know Christmas is superior to any other holiday, but Halloween should still be celebrated with substantial morale. Pumpkin spice is the best flavor ever created, but it does not mingle with my case because I associate it with fall and not Halloween. If we were picking what the best season is, this would be a different story. Do not start celebrating Christmas during October because that is a crime. On the first of November, go crazy.
Abby: Halloween
The season of scary costumes and stuffing your face with treats, otherwise known as Halloween, is the best holiday. Who could resist all the activities the season has to offer?
Being the only holiday to take place with the comfiest weather in the peak of autumn, it is to nobody’s surprise that Halloween manages to have the best entertainment compared to its other holiday competitors.
The crisp fall temperatures, perfect for a light sweater, make it a beautiful time to gather outside with friends and admire the changing of the seasons. Auburn and orange leaves collected in piles on the ground never fail to bring back the nostalgia of plunging into raked leaves as a kid and feeling the crunch of the ground under me.
Pairing this with the pumpkin and apple orchards only available during this time of year brings Halloween to the top of all holidays. Spending a full day choosing the perfectly rounded pumpkin to carve a witch’s face into, all with the company of your closest friends and those addicting Pillsbury Halloween Sugar Cookies.
It would be a crime to praise Halloween without bringing up the movies that come along with it. Halloween movies can scare those capable of handling the terror, while lighter movies, like ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ are still available to cultivate the spooky energy from the holiday and make for a perfect late-night movie binge in October. What’s better than getting all your friends to buy the enormous bags of candy covering the stores and taking it home to a thrilling movie?
All these activities to fill the gap leading up to Oct. 31 only serve to ignite the excitement that comes before getting dressed up, hanging out with friends, and eating enough candy to stop your heart.
Some may say high schoolers are too old to wear costumes and have fun, but I would argue it’s a perfectly good excuse to be someone else for a night without any judgment. The joy that comes from picking out something to dress up in and taking it to the next level is simply unmatchable. Although I’m past my days of trick-or-treating, the kid in me still looks forward to the one day of the year consumed by treats and candy.
Whether it be touring haunted houses or decorating yards with skeletons and pumpkins, the differing dynamics of cozy weather and terrifying motifs that go along with Halloween are enough to keep my spirits high as my schoolwork gets heavy and my motivation is lacking.
Halloween has a certain spirit that can’t compare to the awkwardness of being forced to see relatives and suffering through below-zero temperatures. Though it’s controversial to say, Halloween is superior to Christmas. It’s unimaginable to believe that the bitterness of Christmas could ever compare to the enjoyment of Halloween.
