Happy Holidays: Let’s Settle These Holiday Themed Debates Once and For All

It’s the most wonderful (and hectic) time of the year. With the holidays comes family and with family comes both love and support and a lot of arguments and debates. Some relatives will resume that political fight they had during Thanksgiving while others may debate over the TV. Here are a few others common debates around the holidays that we are ready to clear the air on.

NOTE: The following statements are non-negotiable. Like it or not, the facts are the facts.

 Die Hard is a Christmas Movie: Okay, we know the movie came out in July. But that doesn’t change the Christmas ambiance found in Die Hard. The movie literally takes place during Christmastime with the office party giving and receiving presents-sound familiar? There’s literally Christmas music in the background like “Let It Snow” and “Winter Wonderland”. We understand that the movie is full of action packed sequences but guess what else is adrenaline pumping? Max the Dog getting dragged in the snow by The Grinch in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. Yet, nobody says the Grinch is not a piece of Christmas media. So Yipee Kay Yay, Die Hard is, indeed, a Christmas movie.

Holiday Movies Are More Quintessential Than Holiday Songs: Speaking of Christmas movies, a night with family watching a Hallmark movie is a perfect way to ring in the holiday season. Quotes such as “Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see,” resonates far stronger than song lyrics such as “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer”. Plus, seeing the holiday season unfold in front of our eyes on TV beings our hearts closer to the season than simply listening to the same songs all month long. Both movies and music are essential for Christmas but, as far as tradition getting in the holiday spirit, movies edge out.

Mariah Carey is Overrated: Sorry but Mariah Carey is not the Queen of Christmas. The holidays existed long before Carey was alive with hits such as Jingle Bells Rock and Last Christmas. Plus, hearing “All I Want for Christmas Is You” at every single department store is kind of taxing, no? Mariah Carey is certainly an icon this time of year but there’s certainly other singers that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Real Christmas Trees are Better Than Artificial Trees: Everyone says putting up a real Christmas tree is too much of a hassle but so is everything else about the month of December. Writing cards is a pain, shopping for family and coworkers is a pain and, for some, seeing family itself is a pain. Buying a real tree can be just as frustrating as other aspects of the holiday but is it worth it? Absolutely. The piney smell of a real Christmas tree can instantly put anybody in the holiday spirit in a way that an artificial tree cannot. It’s also a darker shade of green which suits the theme of Christmas better than artificial trees. Putting up lights and ornaments is stressful regardless of the tree and after a few years, these struggles start to become tradition. So, for those who have the time, try buying a real tree, especially if needing a holiday boost this time of year.

The Elf on the Shelf is Creepy, not Jolly: The idea of coal for Christmas is enough to frighten children during the holiday season so why add insult to injury with the elf on the shelf? Not only that but the companies  that make these elves make their eyes so bulging that it can give anyone scopophobia. The fact that it switches locations day after day doesn’t help. In fact, they’re so creepy that judges have taken action about this practice. So please skip it this year (and every subsequent year)

And Finally…Santa Claus is Real: Come on, is this really up for debate? Almost every Christmas movie acknowledges Santa Claus from Will Farrell commenting that he “smells like beef and cheese” to Santa himself kicking Little Ralphie down the slide. Just look at the Santa Claus Tracker that millions of people activate every Christmas Eve to find his location. We literally saw Santa  on top of our chimney with a bag of toys…or maybe that was a homeless man trying to warm himself up with the chimney smoke. Regardless, there’s more than enough proof that Santa is real so why there’s so much skepticism is beyond us.

We can’t tell whether this article ceased these holiday debates or added fuel to the fire but this is just our honest (and correct) opinions. The month of December is both a joyful and miserable time of year so sit back with some Die Hard and a real smelling Chrismas tree and let’s make the most of it as we move into the New Year.