“What do you want for Christmas?” What used to be the world’s most exciting question for a kid is now one I find myself responding to with lack of enthusiasm and dismissal.
When I was young, I would spend hours ruminating about the best new toy or pet I wanted for Christmas. I would look through magazines or finally express my most deepest desire to have the new Easy Bake Oven I'd been lusting after all year, Christmas Story-style. I’ve received my fair share of both satisfactions and disappointments where Christmas gift wishes are concerned. My parents have pulled out all the stops to get me Hamsters and new bikes but, honestly, can you really blame them for not following through on the pony or the baby monkey? So it’s not years of coal in my stocking that has made me less than jazzed about the idea of Christmas presents.
In the last few years, I’ve found it more and more difficult to summon ideas of things that I really “want” for Christmas. I’m sure part of the reason for this is the whole clichéd “the best things are things” thing, but I think there are other aspects to my lack of excitement about presents for myself. On the one hand, my priorities have definitely changed. I can’t wish for a 4.0 GPA for Christmas or for that guy in my English class to return my affections. I can’t ask my parents for the internship I am dying to get this summer or acceptance to a study abroad program. The things that I find myself really lusting after now are a little less acceptable to put on a Christmas list or write a letter to Santa about (that might help though, maybe I should give it a shot). As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found that presents just aren’t as thrilling as they used to be, and the things I really want or care about honestly can’t be bought, as clichéd as that is.
On the other hand, I have started to discover how actually, genuinely fun it is to give presents. Spending time thinking about the perfect shirt to get my 16 year old brother so he'll wear it every day for the next year or the sentimental picture album to get my mom to make her get all teary is actually far more rewarding than asking for or receiving the pony I was so sure I would die without. If I invest my time in getting really amazing, thoughtful presents for the people I care about, I get to be excited every time someone else opens a present and the anticipation of the Christmas season is just that much more satisfying.
I was always amazed when I was young at how much time my mom would spend Christmas shopping and thinking about what to get her sister or my dad or my brother or me, and now, I get it. The reward from seeing my dad wear the funny t-shirt I got three years later and still chuckle about it is far greater than getting an Easy Bake Oven that I would probably use approximately four times.
So, I’ve decided not to get discouraged about not being as excited about what I’m asking for or not knowing what I want, because it doesn’t make me any less excited for Christmas morning in general. I believe the Grinch himself said it best: “Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
