The days after Christmas are my least favorite days of the year. I feel like there is so much excitement around Christmastime. You have your lights, your tree decorating, your shopping, wrapping, gift giving, cooking, your family time and your well deserved break from studying. There is Christmas music on the radio, the scent of pine and cinnamon constantly wafting through either your house or a department store. You have the constant urge to bake things and make things for your friends in the spirit of the season. But, after all the buildup and all the hype, there's a crash. Suddenly, it's the afternoon of December 26th. Everything's been opened, the food's been eaten, everyone's gone back home. The Christmas music starts to drift away from the radio and your neighbors have begun the process of taking down the lights. It's a sudden shift that you're not entirely sure that you're ready for.
The holidays make us happier, you see, and the moment that Cloud Nine feeling is taken away from us, it feels like the whole world is crumbling around us. People always say that it's only a year away, but a year feels like eternity. Why do we love Christmas so much? Psychologically, I believe that it's because we're around the ones that we want to be around, just enjoying each other's company and allowing everyone to be happy. Also, there's a ton of food that we normally don't get to eat every other day out of the year, so it's nice to have something special. Also, gift giving is fun because you're basically getting and giving presents out of the kindness of the heart and spirit of the season.
Why can't we have that Christmas feeling everyday of the year? I think we'd be better people because of it. Think about it. We do so many things for each other this time of year that get neglected every other time of the year. If it's April and you want to pop a Christmas classic in your DVD player, do it. Who's going to judge you? If you want to scream NSYNC's "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" at the top of your lungs everyday of the year, do it. No one is stopping you except for ridiculous, unrealistic societal norms. We deserve to have a good time at every moment of the year, not just Christmas. So, wear that ugly Christmas sweater to your spring semester finals, drink your gingerbread latte during Valentine's Day, and roll your windows down during the summer with Christmas music blasting. Don't let the Christmas spirit die down just because people tell you to let it go.