It’s almost here: the smell of gingerbread cookies and cinnamon candles will waft into my nostrils on a daily basis, storefronts will glimmer with silver tinsel and fake snow, and there will be a general feeling of goodwill and joyfulness penetrating the atmosphere. Ladies and Gentleman, Christmas is about to arrive!
I find a different reason to love the holiday every time December rolls around, but the warm feeling of holiday cheer infiltrates every inch of my body right on cue every year.
Perhaps the greatest joy of all is seeing the excitement in a child’s face in anticipation of the 25th. The youngest ones take pride in their handcrafted popsicle stick ornaments and picking out the “perfect” tree, even if it closely resembles Charlie Brown’s infamous Evergreen. Some little ones spend hours on their computers constructing wish lists of toys, complete with full descriptions and price comparisons, with enough pages to reach the moon and back. On the night of Christmas Eve, children can barely stop wriggling long enough to catch a wink of sleep, hoping to catch a glimpse of Saint Nick snacking on the Snackwells cookies they laid out.
Children and adults alike seem to be sprinkled with sugar and spice and everything nice, turning into regular saints around this time. Those who like to curse at the homeless men begging on Arden way the rest of the year are now compelled to donate cans to the hungry or buy a little girl a Barbie doll as part of the Wish Tree. The sounds of the Salvation Army’s bells fill the air and people are more than happy to unload their change. It’s unfortunate that this doesn’t go on the entire year, but you have to start somewhere right?
On a more shallow level, we can’t forget the all-consuming smells and tastes of the holiday season, which leave my senses in a state of month-long euphoria.
Fragrance and cosmetic companies jump on the chance to market special-edition peppermint lip glosses, cinnamon body scrubs, and vanilla sprays. Candle shops offer a plethora of Christmas-themed wax goodies, and almost every place you walk into smells like it’s been sprayed with a “Christmas” air freshener.
So your taste buds don’t feel left out, there’s a smorgasbord of holiday specials in every café and candy shop around town. Starbucks offers my favorite seasonal treat called the Cranberry Bliss Bar, a mixture of cranberries and vanilla frosting to go along with their peppermint mochas and gingerbread lattes. Holiday cheer can also be found in the form of cookies, cakes, and candy canes that are either for sale or offered up by friends and neighbors. Peppermint ice cream anyone? Yum!
Even better than material objects is the theme of family that becomes so widespread by the end of the year. The hustle and bustle of everyday life comes to a halt as relatives come together to share a hearty meal, a glass (or four) of eggnog, and catch up on the year’s happenings. While not everyone has the time to catch up with Aunt Martha on a weekly basis, Christmas is the perfect excuse to do just that. There aren’t many moments that bring more contentment than realizing how lucky you are to be cozy, well-fed, and surrounded by loved ones on a holiday.
Whether you celebrate Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, or none of the above, you’re sure to encounter (and enjoy) some of the many perks of the holiday season.
The only downside to the festivities? That they can’t last the whole year!
1 comment:
I'm not sure (as the writer suggests) that we could survive having a holiday season all year.
My face muscles would collapse from all that smiling.
But the writer makes excellent points about what is good about the Christmas season and how different it is from other parts of the year.
Nice personal touch about how the writer finds a different reason to like the December each year.
I liked the references to young children, whose innocence and belief in the magic makes the season itself sort of magical.
There is a Santa Claus, by the way, I saw him when I was about 5 years old.
I bet the writer of this column has seen him, too.
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