Holiday Spirit

I don't know how to explain the feeling of the holidays now, it seems like they grow less special each year. Obviously I look forward to them; seeing the decorations, the familiar music playing softly in the background, planning gifts. There's a sort of unified peace and happiness in most places. A feeling of comfort. But, it feels like the magic has faded. Why does it feel that way though? Christmas decorations come out early in the summer, the songs are constantly being redone but with less heart, and everything is so expensive and corporatized.

Sometimes I find myself growing nostalgic for a time I didn't live through. Seeing pictures of vintage homes during the holidays, a fireplace crackling and decorated, malls crowded and playing Christmas hits, buying your gifts and getting them wrapped in store. There was a feeling of unity and magic. Stores had specific smells and an inviting warmth to them. There was a sense of slowing down and taking in the season. Going out to ice skate with family, sledding with friends, cooking and baking for neighbors. I may not have lived through the height of this feeling, only absorbed it through old movies and books.

But, I do remember how it felt to be a kid and have holiday parties at school with little treats and the Polar Express being played, going to neighborhood block parties and not exactly understanding the white elephant game, playing with my friends on the snow hills and sledding and building forts. It feels hard to move on from that time, maybe it felt more magical as a kid because we didn’t really understand things that were happening, everything just seemed big and bold! I wish I could bottle up that nostalgia and have it explode during the holidays. It may not feel the same, but we sure can try to recreate it.