As we grow older, we are often led to believe that the holidays get less and less exciting. Santa no longer sneaks into your house in the middle of the night to eat your cookies and set presents under your tree. There are not piles and piles of toys lining the length of your family’s living room. You can now soundly sleep through the night without the thrill of the holiday morning keeping you wide awake.
But is this really what defines the excitement of the holiday season? It is not that the holidays get “less exciting” the older that we get, but rather that our idea of excitement begins to change—our values begin to broaden and mature. Material items no longer fulfill us in the same way that they once did. We begin to find that what really makes us happiest are the people sitting around the tree rather than the things that are wrapped underneath it.
College is a time in one's life that works to put the world into perspective. Being away from your parents makes you realize just how greatly you depended on their love, support, and hard work for the entirety of your life. Separating from your friends who you had spent every day with for years leads you to uncover who your true friends are. And this all works to change your perspective on the place that you have called “home” since you were young more and more the longer that you are away.
With this comes along a new appreciation for your hometown, the family that you maybe once took for granted, and the friends that have stuck around. The holidays are not the same season of love and gatherings as they have been before, but rather the rare opportunity that you have to come home--maybe for the first time since the fall semester has begun--and spend time with the people who you have accumulated a new appreciation for. And, if your family dynamics are like mine, then you and your siblings grow and your lives’ paths move you further away from the home that you grew up in, making the moments where your entire family is together more and more rare. These gatherings and the love that the holiday season emanates now come along with a greater intensity. Your excitement builds throughout the semester as the time comes closer to reunite with your loved ones and immerse yourself in the safety and comfort of your childhood home. This is the real excitement of the holidays. This is what makes it the most wonderful time of the year. The list of what you have to be thankful for is likely much longer than you may think, and going home for the holidays makes this more than clear.
So as the holiday festivities begin, remember what this season is all about. Surround yourself with the friends and family that you care deeply for, and remember that time spent with those you love is the most valuable of all gifts.
