The morning of Christmas was one of the most amazing experiences as a kid. You wake up in your Christmas pajamas from a night of struggling to fall asleep, run downstairs to see a huge pile of presents under the tree, and the cookies you had baked with your family the night before were gone. Sadly, this type of feeling is no longer felt by most teenagers and adults. Well, what does growing up have to do with the feeling of Christmas?
One of the many exciting parts of Christmas is the person who breaks into your house, brings you presents in the middle of the night, and eats all of your cookies. After finding out who is really behind this, your whole perspective on Christmas changes. You no longer have to track Santa online or listen for his footsteps while you’re asleep. You realize the cookies you worked hard on to give to Santa were actually eaten by your parents. Without Santa, the magic of Christmas starts to fade away.
When you start to grow up, you don’t always notice how others grow up around you. As a kid, you rely on your parents for making Christmas fun by buying presents, decorating, and planning all the exciting events over Christmas break. Of course, this does not apply to all parents, but it is common for many children that this position would start being put on themselves, instead. In addition to this, as your parents get older, their Christmas spirit may also be disappearing.
Instead of giving people the colorful crafts you made in elementary school or presents bought by your parents, you will probably have to start actually buying gifts for others yourself. Christmas shopping is obviously different for everyone. Some people really enjoy gift giving, while others find stress in it. Especially as a teenager, buying gifts within a budget is pretty difficult. Having to go to stores to find the perfect things that people would actually use can be tough. As a kid, you didn’t have to worry about these things. All you had to worry about was receiving the gifts rather than getting them for others.
A friend of mine, Angel Onrubia, explains her experience with Christmas throughout the years.
“My favorite thing to do on Christmas when I was a kid was to wake up to loud Christmas music and sit by the tree with my family to guess what was inside the wrapped presents. The difference between now and before during Christmas time is that since I’m older, I don’t really ask for much and my expectations aren’t as high. Now, one of my favorite things to do on Christmas is eat a lot of food and do karaoke with my family.”
Although Christmas does feel different as a teenager or adult, there are ways to bring the spirit back. You could continue the old Christmas traditions you had when you were younger, or even start some of your own. Watching old Christmas movies always brings back childhood memories. Doing Secret Santa with friends is a creative way to go Christmas gift shopping for another and receive a special present at the same time. Decorating your house or bedroom and creating the sweet smell from the kitchen while baking Christmas treats builds up the Christmas feeling even more. While it may not be the same Christmas that you experienced as a kid, it can still be fun.