The holiday season is coming soon. Decorations are already seen throughout stores, and the TVs and turkeys are already stuffed and full of cheerful spirits. Most noticeable, are the snowy storms that have dropped classic fluffy flakes on the ground and cold winter air. The chilling weather seems to be enough to, ironically, melt our frozen hearts.
However, is this true? The “holly jolly” spirit doesn’t always ring true for all, especially as we get older. The magic of the season doesn’t seem as vibrant as it used to. Age changes things. When you’re in high school, stressful finals replace watching “The Polar Express” in our jammies in the gym and elementary classroom hot chocolate parties. Adults and older people tend to focus more on the stress of money and time when it comes to gifts. At first glance, you can assume that a majority of people felt this way based on the shift in activities and that Christmas loses its magical meaning over time. For many, growing up has always seemed like such a negative process of life, and Christmas would seem to follow suit. I thought that I would get interviews with three people of different ages, to prove this “theory”. But this was proven wrong. Throughout the course of the interviews, this isn’t the case at all.
The first Interview was with Carter Lloyd, a fifth-grade student at Broadway Elementary. You may assume that because of his age, his response over why he likes Christmas would be about gifts, food, and the fun activities. But instead, he responded that what he loves most is hanging out with family and spending time with people he doesn’t see all the time. Of course, he still rambled on about the “fun games” and other entertaining aspects of the holidays, but his sole focus and passion surrounding the holidays were about the love of family and “seeing everyone after many months.” This love of his, that by the looks of it, will hold strong, even after he stops believing in Santa and having movie-watching parties at his elementary school.
When talking to the second interviewee, Lauren Patrick, an FMHS senior, she shared a very similar response to Carter that defied expectations. Her love for the holiday stems from being with those she loved, “getting to hang out with friends and family” and “watching movies and cuddling up by the fire together”. And when asking her about Christmas losing any of its “magic” as she got older, she simply mentioned that “the magic is still there, just my perspective has changed. There are other things still there to fill the magic void, mainly the love of those I love.” Through this conversion with Patrick, it proved that teenage years don’t have to be filled with the constant urge to grow up. Holidays like Christmas can still be experienced with joy, even as an angsty teen stressed out of their mind with grades, exams, and college applications.
The last interview was with Penny Spike who is a retired nurse in her late fifties. Family was once again, the main focus of hers surrounding the season. She seemed incredibly passionate about “spending time with family and giving to those I love.” However, despite this interview ending with expected responses, it was only after this last conversation that the common theme took shape surrounding all of these people.
Christmas doesn’t lose or change its meaning. At the core of it, family and friends seem to ring true for all. Things may seem different, but those different activities that change and grow throughout the course of our lifetime are simply pretty wrapping paper that covers the true gift of those you love. And that is truly nothing short of magical.