Christmas is basic

Christmas isn’t special.

This holiday is like every person who uses the dog snapchat filter while drinking their Starbucks coffee: basic.

Now don’t get me wrong, I do not hate Christmas. It’s just not my favorite holiday.

I, like everyone else, have the warm, fuzzy memories of Christmas mornings from when I was younger. Every year we would open presents as a family. The youngest child would open the first gift. Luckily, I was the youngest of four boys. Later on, we would sit in front of the fire watching the SNL Christmas special.

The traditions were the part that made Christmas special. However, as the years went on, traditions and family bonding began to fade.

My family used to celebrate the holiday together, but as my brothers grew older and started their own journey to adulthood, they moved out and slowly left the picture. They’re with us; they just aren’t there for long. They have to go to their girlfriends’ family parties or get to their homes to do something.

Last year my brother, Daniel, couldn’t even be with us. Unfortunately, he had to spend the holidays with his buddies while deployed in Afghanistan. We weren’t even able to facetime him because of the military bases Wi-Fi connection.

Next Christmas I will be the only child of the family left who will still be living with my parents. Even if my brothers are present for a part of the day, it won’t be the same.

And the part of Christmas that gave it life when I was younger was the belief of Santa. As we get older, we wonder how a 300-pound man can travel the entire planet in a night and deliver presents to all the children. I don’t know about you, but that just does not seem realistic to me.

Every other holiday gets a new anticipated detail as we grow older. On Halloween, we get to dress up in ways that would violate school dress code and go to better parties with our friends. On Thanksgiving, we get to wake up early the next morning and waste all of our money of things that we “have to have.” But on Christmas? All we get is the sudden realization that Jolly Old Saint Nick may actually just be our parents.

I do like Christmas; I just believe that it does not even compare to some other holidays.

Other holidays are overshadowed, and nowadays we immediately jump into Christmas season the day after Halloween.

If there is one thing that I dread about Christmas, and I would not even be able to chose another, it would have to be the awful holiday music that started playing a half a month ago.

As a cashier at Wegmans, I have to listen to holiday music for two whole months. If someone else comes along and covers “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” well, I don’t even want to know what I would do.

With all of this in mind, I hope you all have a happy holiday season.

Christmas is better

Christmas music, picking out a Christmas tree, baking and decorating cookies, finding the perfect present, and being with family; there’s nothing not to love about Christmas time.

Some people feel that Christmas is too “basic.” But honestly, who cares? Christmas season is one of those times where everyone is always happy, so why worry about being “basic?”

The best thing about Christmas has to be Christmas morning- waking up early to go downstairs and see all the presents under the tackily decorated tree and the stockings filled to the brim, and opening the presents with Christmas music softly playing in the background.

Then of course, seeing the face of your siblings glow in surprise and delight when they open the perfect present you found for them. Nothing can beat that sense of accomplishment.

And who doesn’t love spending time with family? Sitting down with family you rarely see to watch Elf while drinking hot chocolate and eating sugar cookies coated with sprinkles is always heartwarming and definitely not too “basic.”

All the things about Christmas seem to be the best things about Christmas. Blasting 101.9 in the car with your friends? The best. Decorating your Christmas tree with family? The best. Walking around the city and being fascinated by all the lights? The best.

“I really enjoy the exquisite atmosphere created by the most wonderful time of the year,” Christmas enthusiast, John Talbott (‘18) said. Everything about Christmas is fun and exciting.

Even though this time of year can bring stress, it all seems to melt away once Christmas Eve and Christmas day come and you realize that the holidays are all about being happy.

So this Christmas, don’t worry about being too “basic” when you’re having fun with the people you love doing those fun traditions that seem to bring all the joy.