With winter already here, Christmas subsequently follows. Like most people who observe the holiday, I have a Christmas tree up in my house with all the decorations up. Only this time, it is more of a background piece. I don’t think I’ve participated in setting it up in the last few years, either because of changing interests or because I was away.

And as for gifts, I transitioned from more extravagant gifts, such as a telescope which sits near my window, to something more practical. I found out I never really made use of them, and therefore e-mailed for a CD and more colored pencils to draw with. Yet with college students requesting for more practical things, such as “sleep” and “money”, I still want something special, something which can’t be received every day. Like fencing gear and world peace.

I looked to Christmas with anticipation when I was younger. I didn’t focus on the eggnog and kissing under the mistletoe because they weren’t highlighted in my immigrant family. However, then as is now, I looked forward to gifts, to food, to watching the myriad of basketball games on TV, and general joy.

These days, however, I find myself anticipating things less and less.

As I’ve observed, Christmas passes through a single day, and then the countdown resets again at 364 days. On the other hand, the time that stretches beforehand grows very long in my opinion. All for a special day.

Maybe it’s because I’ve grown up a little, read, and found out Christmas was not the only holiday celebrated during this time of year. Or the fact that the purpose of this holiday is up for debate on when it happened; the December 25^th decided to be the day of Jesus’ birth was based on another Roman festival.

So, in a few years, when I establish a life of my own, would I end up celebrating the holiday?

With the pervasiveness of Christmas around most of the world, it would have to be a given. It’s fun to observe the fun of snow, or hang out in the sun on the other side of the Equator, and eat. Not to mention, my family grew up with the holiday as a Christian family; to surrender it now as it transitions might be off-putting, if not isolating myself. And of course, getting things, even though one day, I will be able to afford them.