I've decided I am having an early 2000s Christmas this year.
"maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store"
In the early 2000s, the Christmas season was filled with cherished events, anticipatory moments, and wishful thinking about my Christmas list (will my mom be able to find that obscure toy that I circled in the catalog months ago??). Days off from school were filled with holiday parties, baking cookies, Christmas movies, decorating the tree. There was so much time to be present and be excited about the holiday. Half the fun of Christmas was the days leading up to it. There was nothing I loved more than sitting down with my family to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas after mailing my letter to Santa and making a fresh batch of “reindeer food”. As an adult, the Christmas magic has long gone, but I do appreciate the thoughtfulness of a nice gift or time set aside with loved ones.
The holidays are always so hectic no matter how well-prepared you may think you are. There’s always more to do, more to buy, more social interactions you have to grin and bear. In the midst of the chaos, you are supposed to find space in your life to be cheerful about the holidays. You barely have time to workout and make dinner, but sure, let’s be cheerful! Maybe I’m being cynical, but it seems that everyone wants a piece of you around the holidays and I’ve only recently learned that saying “no, thank you for the invite though” is a complete sentence.
Being busy is nothing new though. In 2024, everyone likes to remind you how busy they are, wearing it like a badge of honor. Planners are filled months in advance for a simple friends dinner or night away in a new city. Forget planning a trip out of the country in your 30s, that requires military precision and at least 2 years notice. Nothing is spur of the moment or planned just because. The holidays are no different. Weeks are filled with holiday get-togethers, shopping for the perfect gift for another white elephant party, doing a planned activity or two, obviously on top of your regular workload and daily routines. Then, Christmas comes and goes with little rest to be had. Soon enough, the New Year’s resolution rat race begins.
During the 2024 holiday season, I had to work Thanksgiving and I will have to work New Year’s because I’m a nurse and that’s just how it all worked out this year. This means that Christmas is my most important holiday during 2024 and I plan to soak in all the Christmas spirit I can. For me this doesn’t mean attending holiday parties I have no interest in or shopping until I drop at the mall. This means spending time at home with my family, having insightful conversations around the fire, decorating the family tree with ornaments from my childhood, putting the phone down to have dinner with my brother visiting from Chicago. This means saying “no” to events and items that don’t fit this narrative.
Growing older has come with many lessons, but one that I am still learning is that I can truly do what I want and my opinion is the only one that ultimately matters. Before you are pulled in 20 different directions this holiday season, think about what you want your holiday to look like this year. You only get so many Christmases in your lifetime. There is no reason to spend a single one doing something you find unenjoyable. Hold your families and friends close this holiday season, tune out the noise from social media, remember what’s important.
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With love,
Rachel