In defense of feeling excited about the holidays
Winter is hard. There is snow everywhere and you need to make sure you have the right tires on your car so the ice doesn’t plunge you into a guardrail. When winter comes, I tend to think of the not-so-nice things that come with it before I think of the good. I tend to notice the Scrooges.
But at this point in life, I am learning to let go of the negativity and see how valuable this time of year is. Being in college or a first apartment brings the thrill of decorating and being festive to a new level. You learn what lights are appropriate to splurge on and how expensive Target really is. You start drinking exciting holiday drinks and feeling like an adult. There comes a time in your life when your mom isn’t putting up your holiday decorations for you. And while that is a slightly scary realization, it is also extremely inspiring.
I guess what I’m saying is, the older you get, the more you appreciate the cliché trends of winter. When you’re younger, you see the holidays as something that will always come, year after year. But does that mean you shouldn’t cherish them each time? Shouldn’t we attempt to fully immerse ourselves into the holiday spirit?
I want to say yes. Each year this magical time comes around, and there are always people that roll their eyes at my eager enthusiasm. In the past, I’ve let that squash my excitement as I try to not dance uncontrollably to Michael Buble’s Christmas album. I made the biggest mistake that any person could make in life: I let other people control my emotion with their opinions. I would see people that were “too cool” for Christmas cheer and thought maybe I should act more like them. But deep down, I knew that acting that way would only leave me feeling empty once the holidays were over and it was January 1st.
What you get excited about doesn’t matter, the point is that you get excited and you do it unapologetically. Remind yourself that this is the time of year where you can feel the holiday spirit around you, and you don’t ever need to lower your singing voice. All you should do is be very honestly happy. You should forgive those who have wronged you and do your best to see the good in your enemies, because this is the time of year where really amazing things happen.
After a long day of working and walking through the cold air, sit back at home and make a nice warm drink and put on a great movie. Just do it. Watch Elf a hundred times. No one needs to know. Eat a bucket of peppermint bark for dinner with some nice bubbly champagne. Take a hot shower and sing the classiest of Christmas carols. Who cares if someone hears you? All that matters is your happiness. Let yourself have the pleasures of the winter season. Buy that big container of eggnog that isn’t even low fat. This is what being alive is about. This is the time that you realize if someone is judging you for having that much fun, they must be pretty miserable.
We need people like you. We need honesty. We need people that aren’t afraid to dress their dogs in Santa costumes. Not everyone will be a holiday nerd like you, and that is why we need people like you. When everyone grumbles about the snow falling, put on your snow boots and make a freaking snowman.
If I want anything out of life, it’s to be fully comfortable with who I am. There is a power in being yourself in the most honest way. Believe in who you are. Do you like hot chocolate? How many lights have you hung? How many times have you watched Frozen this year? Just do your thing and let the other people judge from afar. You are a trailblazer, and those are the people who matter. And the people that whisper about it? They aren’t getting very far. Keep jingling your bells.
Heather Murray is a student in Boston studying fashion and communications. She runs a blog called Glitterbunnies and enjoys baking and decorating. You can find her binge-watching TV shows and trying to make people smile.
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