Let me tell you a little story. Yesterday, a peer of mine who is of a different race and doesn`t celebrate any holiday at this time of year, was whining about and questioning why some white people make such a big deal out of Christmas. I was standing there wondering why this person had never gotten the idea of holiday spirit from every Christmas special ever (I went to Elementary school with this person, I know they've seen A Charlie Brown Christmas) and half knowing that I was one of those white people that make a (sort of) big deal about Christmas. Then I started thinking, if your family doesn't traditionally celebrate Christmas or any sort of holiday around this time or isn't of a practicing faith, what would holiday spirit be to you? And then I started thinking about A Charlie Brown Christmas and all of those Christmas specials and holiday spirit and why Christmas is one of my favourite holidays. And then I started questioning the meaning of life. Just kidding.
I realized that one of the reasons Christmas is definitely my favourite holiday is the idea of giving and being generous. I realized that we all need a little Christmas once in awhile, even if we don't celebrate Christmas. I love giving back and I love making people feel good about themselves. I think its important we show and tell the people in our lives how much we appreciate them. We live in a very self absorbed world and Christmas is a time to free ourselves from our own little worlds, be more generous and kind than usual.
In other words, if you're not a celebrator of holidays at this time, it does not mean you can't be filled with the holiday spirit. I know it's cliche, but holiday spirit does not mean you've decorated your house with every type of light imaginable and have four Christmas trees. It means that you have made an effort to show people around you that you care about them.
What's The Point of Holiday Spirit?
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I was actually going to do a post along this same vein myself. I do think that everyone needs a little of that giving, generosity and a general sense of happiness and good spirit toward all. I just feel like Christmas has been turned into a consumerism nightmare. Everyone is so busy running around in a scattered, panicked state, attempting to get the best deal at the store this time of year, that they're stressed and tired. I work customer service and I often get the sense that people are really grumpy during the holidays because it's so stressful for them- they lose sight of what it's actually all about. I just wish that everyone had your take on it and knew that 'holiday spirit does not mean you've decorated your house with every type of light imaginable.' Anyway, sorry for the novel, thank you for the great post. It puts things into perspective. :)
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