christmastime

christmastime is my favorite time of year. it isn't really christmas day that gets me excited, it is the spirit that comes with the weeks between thanksgiving and the new year. i am the person who gets excited for the first holiday display of the year; i am the person who listens to christmas music on thanksgiving day (and many times before that); i am the person who enjoys shopping on a saturday afternoon in december; and i am the person who is constantly lectured to by cynics preaching about how the season comes too early each year, how the spirit of the season has been lost in commercialization, and how it is really a holiday only for children.

this time of year fosters a spirit of collective giving. it doesn't matter why. we give for religious reasons, we give to make others happy, we give to get something in return, and we give because it's just what you do. we give presents to family and friends, we give money and donations to those who are less fortunate, and we give our time to local charities. it's at no other point in the year that we think so much about others and what they need or want. for a few weeks out of the year, it brings on a greater understanding of what we have in common, making differences seem less important.

even with all this giving to others, i am happier with myself than at any other time of year. i love finding the perfect gift for someone. no matter what the cost, a thoughtful gift is one of the best ways to show someone how much i appreciate them. in turn, it makes me appreciate the great people i have in my life. i like donating money to charity around the holidays so that others can have it a little easier. it also gives me time to reflect on how lucky i am in my life. all of the decorations, music and shopping remind me of these things. so when it comes down to it, christmastime just makes me happy.

that is why i love when christmas seems to come earlier and earlier every year. it's great getting into the spirit of giving a little earlier. in a way, it is silly that this coming together of human empathy only happens for a few weeks out of the year. every year, i think i should try to take the feeling of the season throughout the new year and every year it fades away. but then, a little bit sooner than the year before, holiday decorations go up again.

i also cannot understand those who say that the christmas spirit has become commercialized, because it is not something that is dictated by the major retailers of america. i control my own christmas spirit. i choose to enjoy finding gifts for people, i choose to enjoy hearing the salvation army bells on the street corners, and i choose to keep "yes, virginia there is a santa claus" as my favorite news article of all time. they say that chirstmas is for children when in reality, it is for those who never stopped believing in santa claus.