Temperatures have dropped, and decorations have been put on display, marking a significant shift in the community: the holiday season. As the next nine months consist of some type of celebration, this list is dedicated to some of my favorite holiday hot takes.

Halloween
Halloween movies outdo regular scary movies. Horror films not centered around Halloween lack focus and clarity because their settings and context are typically unmentioned. I’m assuming non Halloween movies come across as scarier because the events are less expected but I don’t enjoy those movies as much.

Thanksgiving
Despite what people claim, Thanksgiving deserves recognition for more than one day.  Although I disapprove of quite a bit of Thanksgiving dishes, I dislike stuffing, dressing, and ham the most. Both dressing and stuffing taste like failed casseroles to me and ham typically feels wet and oily.

Christmas 
Keep Christmas decorations in storage until after Thanksgiving. You have the entire month of December to celebrate Christmas, leave November alone. While most Christmas traditions I enjoy, the concept of a little elf moving around the house when you’re sleeping creeped me out as a child and it’s bound to give little kids nightmares. I’m sure the creator of Elf on the Shelf didn’t intend to scare children, but I’m not sure how they didn’t consider that possibility. Sugar cookies taste better than gingerbread cookies. The quality of gingerbread cookies depends on the person making them, but sugar cookies rarely get messed up because they appear simpler to create.

New Year’s
New Year’s resolutions lack significance unless you follow through with the resolutions. If you haven’t stuck to your resolution for the past ten years, you will most likely not pursue it this year. Seriously consider if your priorities have changed before making a resolution. There’s nothing wrong with ending the year as the same person who began the year, but don’t lie to yourself about it. If you have changed, you’re more likely to go through with your resolutions.

Valentine’s Day 
While Valentine’s Day encourages people to celebrate their significant other, certain people rely on the holiday as the only day they honor their partner. There are 365 days in a year, don’t assign Feb. 14 as the sole day for romance. You shouldn’t have to buy gifts every day to show your love, but other romantic efforts such as dates could go a long way. Also, everybody deserves gifts on Valentine’s Day whether they’re in a relationship or not. 

St. Patrick’s Day
A common, but strange St. Patrick’s Day tradition involves pinching people who are not wearing green. Wearing green supposedly makes you invisible to leprechauns. If you’re not invisible, you get pinched. I doubt people not wearing green get pinched by strangers, but that doesn’t make the tradition any less weird.

Easter
One of the most popular activities to do on Easter is an Easter Egg Hunt. These hunts normally take place outside, but hosting them inside could prevent bugs from attacking the candy. I noticed both Easter and Halloween offer a variety of themed candy for their celebrations, Easter candy surpasses Halloween candy, especially when it comes to chocolate.

Fourth of July
No one should hear or see Fireworks before July 4th or after July 7th. I understand the weekend after the 4th if the holiday didn’t land on a weekend itself, but anything more seems excessive. Independence Day becomes Independence Month when you pop fireworks all month.