December is upon us, and it is officially the most wonderful time of the year. Whip out the eggnog and light up the tree because the holiday season has finally arrived.
It is no secret that people’s spirits rise as soon as Christmas comes around, but let’s be honest, things are not the same as when we were kids. I am sure we all remember well what it was like when we were younger and the feeling we had when Christmas came around. The halls of the schools were all decked out, and we drank hot chocolate and sent letters to Santa. This magic is indescribable, and I know, for myself and I am sure others, that we long to feel the joy we did as a kid at Christmas time again.
However, there are still ways in which adults can feel the magic of the holiday season.
As we get older, there are new ways in which we get into the holiday spirit, but there may be some holiday traditions that never change.
“The way I get into the holiday spirit is by watching Christmas movies,” said Cat Wall, a junior English major. “While I am going about my day and I see a holiday movie on TV, I’ll just stop what I am doing and watch it because I would watch those movies when I was a kid with my family. It’s very nostalgic for me, and it really gets me into a Christmas-y mood.”
Whether it is listening to holiday tunes or watching classic Christmas films, there are still things that we all do that make us feel warm inside around Christmas time. Just because we are older does not mean that all of our holiday traditions have to change, and with holding onto those wonderful holiday memories comes a feeling that is so much sweeter as an adult.
Something that always gets me into the Christmas spirit is decorations. One thing I love about living in Milledgeville and being a student at GCSU during the holiday season is how beautiful the town and campus look during the month of December. I love how all the small businesses decorate their storefronts and the town just comes alive at night with Christmas lights.
I especially love the decoration on GCSU’s front campus and how we make lighting up the campus into an event every year. With Hanging of the Greens this past Thursday, it is really beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Christmas decorations always remind me of my sister and me decorating the tree for Christmas with all of the ornaments that we collected from family vacations and ones we hand-made as kids. It always came out a little tacky, but it seemed perfect to me.
Personally, something I do now to make my spirits bright is to dress up in December attire. I love wearing winter clothes and dressing up in warm knit sweaters, boots and winter coats because, let’s face it…baby, it’s cold outside. It really makes me feel all warm and joyful as I walk around the decked-out downtown and go from class to class with a peppermint latte in hand while dressed in a cute, cozy winter outfit.
Another thing I do to boost my holiday cheer is by enjoying various Christmas activities with friends. Something I always did as a kid was go for drives with my family during Christmas, and we would drink hot chocolate, listen to holiday music and look at all the Christmas lights people decorated on their houses. It is one of my favorite childhood memories that I will cherish forever. Now, I do it with my friends while I am away from home, and it is so sweet to continue with that tradition while sharing that experience with new people.
“I bring Christmas decorations from home and I decorate with things that make me happy, and the classic Christmas songs always put me in a cheery mood,” said Madeline Marx, a junior mass communications major. “My family and I always watch Christmas movies together every year, and Christmas Vacation is a movie that I love to play. It makes me feel like I’m home with my family.”
Something I think we all need to understand is that the magic of Christmas we experienced as kids never came from the decorations, the movies, or Santa Claus coming into town. It was our family. They were the magic. They made it nostalgic. They made it special. It was never about the red and green cookies or the presents or the mystical reindeer flying in the air.
This season is about the people you share it with and the memories you make together. That is what makes Christmas feel like Christmas, even when you are apart from those people.
Christmastime may not be as it once was, but the stockings still get hung, the music still sounds the same and the memories you have never fade. It’ll still be a holly jolly Christmas, and we’ll all still be rocking around the Christmas tree, same as the year before and for all the years to come.
So, no matter what you do this holiday season, it certainly won’t be a blue Christmas if you make a little magic for yourself and maybe make a little magic for others, too, as our families have done for us.
