Getting into the holiday mindset
“I hate the holidays!”
There are always a few who shout this right after Halloween, dreading the onslaught of holiday products (often displayed first in CVS). They claim the holidays are too commercial, too cheesy, too over-sentimentalized, too expensive— too everything.
I agree that marketing execs decide to roll out the holiday products earlier every year (or so it seems).
It’s also true that we are bombarded with holiday trappings (lights, music, food, gifts) everywhere we go. Even though we honor other religions with “Happy holidays!” and different gifts and decorations, it is Christmas that overshadows everything else.
If we look past this commercial tsunami, there are some good things we can say about the holidays.
First of all, the holidays are very other-oriented. You spend time thinking about people you care about and what gifts would please them. I love this part. To walk around in a shop all the while thinking of a friend or family member and choosing the perfect gift—how wonderful! It gets us out of our bubble of self and asks us to be empathic. You imagine the friend putting on that new scarf—and feeling warm, loved, and of course even more attractive.
Who can debate that some of the music is lovely? I love Christmas carols—especially some of the great remakes through the years and the funny ones. They bring me back to my childhood when my dad would put on whatever radio station in the Hartford area that was playing Christmas songs. We would all shout out the lyrics when “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” came on. And what about the funky “8 Days (of Hanukkah)” by Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings? Cool….
Lights! C’mon now—who doesn’t like to see Christmas lights or a lit-up menorah as you take a walk in your neighborhood at night? I like the traditional white and colored lights adorning bushes and trees— along with the crazy blow-up characters from holiday movies and television shows. Totally retro are the rare-to-see old-school large colored bulbs on someone’s tree that bring you right back to a time when everyone had them.
And the food…. Whether you are into kugel and rugelach for Hanukah, or Christmas cookies and eggnog, or catfish and collards for Kwanzaa—it’s all good. My favorite ice cream flavor is peppermint stick, which is hard to find except around the holidays. What could be bad about all of this yumminess?
The movies are awesome. I love “Fred Claus” and “Elf.” I love all of the animated ones, too. “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”? Hilarious. A sappy Hallmark movie—yep! There’s something for everyone (including “Die Hard” and “Trading Places”).
It doesn’t matter what religion you are or if you don’t do religion—all of these treats are there for you to enjoy.
Can you conjure up that inner child and smile as you listen to “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” or Adam Sandler’s “The Chanukah Song”? Can you go out and make a snow angel if we ever get any snow? Can you be unhappy while stirring hot chocolate with a candy cane?
It’s a mindset thing, right? If you remember what you liked about the holidays from your childhood—well, all of those things are still here and ready to be enjoyed again.
Happy holidays!