Let me start off by saying, I don't dislike Christmas, I dislike the commercialized holiday we have all come to associate with Christmas.
Christmas in the commercial industry starts even before Halloween. Superstores like Walmart and Target having their Christmas decorations condensed into one or two aisles behind the Halloween decorations and costumes. The Christmas selection is there, but it's minimal, still allowing Halloween to be the focal holiday. The minute Halloween passes, it turns into a full blown Christmas extravaganza. This is especially clear in places such as the major theme parks (Disney, Universal, etc.), where the minute the parks close on Halloween, they switch out the decorations so that it's completely Christmas by the time park opens on November 1st.
People seem to forget about the holiday in between: Thanksgiving. I don't see people getting as excited for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade like they do for extravagant Christmas house decorations. People generally don't enjoy preparing Thanksgiving dinner as much as they do decorating the house for the Holidays. Thanksgiving comes and goes. Families don't even take the time to fully enjoy the holiday, anticipating the weekend ahead of shopping and sales, starting the process Thanksgiving night.
It seems as if the whole country is on fast-forward from October to the end of the year. Everything is done with the thought of Christmas being the end goal. Can we just take the time to enjoy every holiday as it comes? Thanksgiving and Christmas are about family, or at least were about family. Now it seems like everyone's just looking forward to the next best thing, whether that be presents or the next Holiday.
When preparing to write this article, I asked my mom, "How do I write an article about how I hate Christmas, without sounding like a Scrooge?" She then said, "You can't, because you don't. You don't truly hate Christmas." I wouldn't have it. "I don't like Christmas. I hate Christmas music. I hate how the world seems to start celebrating in October. I only like watching movies all day with you and daddy, I like playing board games, I like the time and traditions we share during Christmas but that's it."
And that's when my mom made a valid point. All these traditions that I enjoy, exist because of Christmas. So no, I don't actually hate Christmas. I hate what it's evolved, or should I say, digressed into. I ask everyone this year, to remember the true spirit of Christmas and holidays of that kind: spending time with friends, family, and loved ones.
Enjoy the time you have and stop rushing through everything. While it's here now, the future is not guaranteed.
