Everybody needs a little (more) Christmas
I love Christmas. I love the music, the food, the fun, the lights, the snow, the weather, the holly, the ivy, the mistletoe, the reindeer, the Hanukkah, the love, the spirit, the festivities.
I love it all.
What I don’t love are folks who want to squeeze the fun and happiness into a few short days, a week or only in December. I often think, “Why would someone hate Christmas?” because that’s how it feels when people moan about the music and the lights and the store decorations.
I don’t get it. Why would someone not WANT a happy, fun, festive time of year?
It’s not uncommon for me to listen to Christmas music throughout the year. Decorations begin going up in early November and stay up through January.
But others feel the need to separate Thanksgiving and Christmas. Maybe these people only think of the retail rush, the toys, the hectic holiday family gatherings? I’m not sure.
I love everything about Christmas. It’s the most special time of year.
But it upsets me when people don’t want to spread holiday cheer, or even get into the holiday spirit.
Lighten up, folks. Christmas is in us all throughout the year. Spread some happiness and cheer. It doesn’t have to be bottled up into a few days or weeks.
In these tough times, we all need a little more Christmas spirit.
Don’t get me wrong: I love Christmas, and I love the Christmas season. It’s warm and cozy and friendly and cheerful and many more wonderful things. But I can’t handle Christmas in early November, let alone October, because it just feels like we’re rushing through fall. As much as I love wintery things, I love fall as well: changing leaves and crisp air and cider and pumpkins and [hopefully] a lack of snow. Two different seasons, and I love them equally, and luckily one transitions right into the other. But I’m just not ready to start making my holiday cookies before I’ve finished my pumpkin pie.
My mother hated Christmas so it wasn’t exactly a joyful time of year.
I think what people object to is the push to make us feel “Christmasy” via decor, music, etc. when that invoking that feeling is designed to make us spend money. In turn, that leads to stress about holiday itself, which sucks out some of the joy.
My favorite point of the Christmas holiday comes around 8 p.m. or so on Christmas Eve. There’s nothing else that can be bought, made, etc. and all you have left to do is enjoy that night and the next day.
It might also help that by that point, my religious stuff is out of the way.
I can understand both of your comments. It’s certainly the corporate part of Christmas that makes people stabby. But I ignore that because we deal with it all throughout the year.
My dad isn’t big on the actual Christmas stuff because his dad died ON Christmas when my dad was six. So….there’s that.
And Stephanie….likewise on the religious stuff. People are amazed at how I am all about Christmas but am not religious. To me, Christmas is more than Jesus and Target. It’s about happiness, fun, family and friends, etc. I personally don’t need religion or the Retail World to tell me to enjoy Christmas.
Oh, and Christmas Eve at 8… yes, I love that, too!