To live a good life, a person needs to have a comprehensive understanding of boundaries. They give us a ceiling by separating what is right and wrong. Without them, moral judgement is near impossible. Boundaries come in all shapes and sizes—some difficult to accept, some easier. Abstaining from Christmas celebration until Thanksgiving is not difficult. It’s actually helpful. When people get in the habit of saving their Christmas spirit, they are more apt to have an easier time when it comes to real life events such as chastity or patience.

I’ve noticed that the majority of people wait until Thanksgiving to splurge on Christmas culture. Those who don’t observe this practice soil the patient people’s efforts when they blast the new Taylor Swift Christmas album or any other in-your-face celebration during holiday ordinary time. It isn’t cute, and chances are the people around you are not on your side.

Also, when people participate in early Christmas celebrations, they promote consumerism in our society. Have you ever seen a blown-up Santa Claus decoration at Sears in the middle of October? That symbol flourishes because shoppers who celebrate Christmas early respond to it by buying more Christmas goods in their lives. They stretch the profitable season of Christmas over a greater period of time more than it deserves to be.

The most basic and convincing reason to wait for Christmas fun, though, is that it makes the celebration better. It causes a celebrant to pack more of a punch into those few short weeks before the long-anticipated day, which is far more satisfying than the alternative.