Friday, December 21, 2007

  • The Spirit of Christmas

    Ah, the holidays. The only time of year when it's accepted by society to walk around saying "God bless," the only time of year when it's expected for enemies to look at one another and say "My, you're looking wonderful," and best yet, the only time of year when it's alright for barely-cordial families to join together and sing "Merry Christmas" with those cookie cutter smiles and those oh so cliche tag lines. Oh, the spirit of Christmas.

    Honestly, what is it with the holidays anymore? Over time, "the spirit" has evolved from the spirit of Christ to the spirit of Santa Claus and the gifts he leaves behind. It is a beautiful thing when a person gives a meaningful gift to someone who really needs it. But tell me, what do you call the moment that a person gives a thoughtless gift to someone simply because it's expected? It's aimless, it's meaningless... it's useless.

    I remember when I was a little girl. Yes, technically I still am, but I mean little little girl. When I would promise myself  that I wouldn't fall asleep on Christmas Eve so I could anxiously listen for the slightest hint of a footstep on the rooftop. Then I would fail miserably and fall asleep only to wake up the next morning to the best day of the year. It was the perfect time of year. We would go to Aunt Carol's house and join around a beautifully set table with wonderful food. Everyone seemed so happy, everything seemed to perfect.

    It was as I got older that I realized this perfect feeling was only skin deep. What use is happiness when it is merely superficial? My thoughts of the perfect Christmas day slowly turned into thoughts of abhorrence and outright disgust at the shallow meaning of the holidays. No longer was it the wonderful company and the spirit of the day. Rather, it was the forced gifts and the atmosphere of complied presences.

    Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I have a terrible family, not at all. I love my family. But around the holiday season I tend to wonder whether or not the holidays will ever return to the way they were in the olden days. You know, a warm cozy house filled with happiness and laughter. The holidays have become cold. Not only outside, but inside as well--inside our hearts. Not just in my family's celebration but in society as a whole. Honestly! I saw a Wii Game System on ebay for 4 million dollars! FOUR MILLION DOLLARS. Now try and tell me that Christmas hasn't lost its meaning.

    How do we change this? How do we turn the holidays from a time of forced efforts to a time of joy? It wouldn't honestly take much. It would just simply mean taking the focus off of the gifts of the holidays and pointing it rather at the company. Items are just items, things are just things. But family, family is the people that are going to remember you when you're gone. Family is the people that are going to pass on your embarrassing childhood stories to generation after generation. Family is the people who will have warm hearts filled with happiness for you. Tell me the last time your iPod told you it loved you.

    The holidays are a beautiful time. They're the time of year when family's must join together and welcome one another and fill each other's hearts with happy moments. Christmas needs to be turned back into the most wonderful time of the year, rather than the most superficial. Sure, we live in a great time period with increased technology that could help save lives more effectively, with any and everything available to us at the click of the mouse, with all of our emotions turned into to "lol" and "=)." While these are the benefits of our generations, maybe these are also the downfalls. As a result of the industrialized world, we're pulling away from the one thing that matters most: family.

    Now is the time for the Christmas Spirit Revamped.  Rather than buying your friend those cute new shoes she wants, maybe you'll make her a card telling her how important she is to you. No more running around like a madwoman from Black Friday to Christmas Eve. Instead, relax, drink some coffee by the fire place, and  think of all of the good things you have in your life. Give it a shot; you might be amazed at how joyful the holiday season truly is.

    Have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year.

Comments (3)

  • kingofblur

    How about buying her the pair of cute new shoes and making her a card telling her how important she is to you? Yes, making her a card telling her how important she is to you is, er, important and will make her grateful, but making her the new shoes is important and will make her happy.

    Combine traditions and modern deeds; it'll make everyone happy and Christmas perfect. Or as good as it can get.

  • kingofblur

    Oops, I mean buying her the new shoes, not making.
  • rachel_moments

    I dunno, Christmas can be whatever we want to make it. I agree with you on the focus on material things, but it can be, and is so much more for many. I worry about little kids especially who look at it just as a day to accumulate stuff.

    Very thought provoking post.

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