Who remembers waking up literally at six in the morning (or earlier), racing to your parents room, pouncing on their bed and screaming “SANTA CAME! SANTA CAME”, as if that was the only part of Christmas that mattered. This year, as I rolled out of bed around 10:30 and grabbed a cup of coffee, barely even glancing at the tree or the presents, I realized my priorities may have shifted in the last few years or so. I guess getting older really does mean getting a little wiser too. Only a little bit though ;). When we are young, we don’t really understand Christmas much better than lots of yummy food, getting to wear your festive PJs all day long, and a jolly old fat man dressed in red breaking and entering in the middle of the night and showering you with presents. Truly, it is the greatest day to exist for a five year old. I don’t think I realized that not all kids were as blessed to have what I probably didn’t deserve any more than they did every December 25th. This year, more than others, I heard and saw much discussion regarding that the holidays are harder for most than they are easier. Many deal with broken families or no family to celebrate with, many can’t afford to have an extravagant Christmas dinner, or hate the reminder of the losses of loved ones around this family focused season. I’ve always known the holiday season to be a time of giving back and spreading as much love that you can, but this year I was more conscious than normal of how this time of year seems to be more strenuous and stressful than joyful. Even for families who are not struggling financially or missing family members at their holiday dinner, it is still a physical, financial, and mental stretch for many. Hours of cooking, cleaning, hosting, and wrapping. Irritating family members and friends barging in unexpectedly. Buying the “right” gift for each family member. And the pressure social media and advertisers put on you to have the “perfect” holiday. Even for those who don’t celebrate christmas, I’m sure there are still stresses that the chaos of these end of the year celebrations bring on their shoulders. I have some disappointing or quite relieving news for you, depending on how you look at it. NONE OF IT MATTERS. None of it matters, because all of the bows, cookies, and honey baked hams are irrelevant to the purpose of this time of year. This time of year, regardless of if you tie it to a religious figure or not, should be focused on bringing you close to your loved ones, reminding you of all you are blessed to have in your life, and to remind you of those who aren’t as fortunate and to hopefully remind you to take a little bit of action. Maybe its the fact that I now have a job and can afford to give higher quality gifts (that add up wow $$$) or that I go to school across the country and this was the first year ever that was not able to spend Thanksgiving back home in Arizona, but now ALL I care about this time of year is physically being surrounded by my loved ones. Things that used to be so stressful as a child, such as baking all seven types of christmas cookies, having dinner exactly on time, getting everyone the perfect gift with the perfect wrapping, and the tree and centerpieces meticulously decorating (Okay that one still matters to my mom a little bit), suddenly weren’t stressful any more. What mattered this year was the laughs that were shared while baking and that everyone at least made it to dinner and were enjoying each other's company. I was overcome by the sensation of warmth and joy as I laid on the couch, still in my pajamas, with my belly full of a delicious Christmas brunch and watched the smiles sweep across family member’s faces as they opened my thoroughly thought out gifts (I did really good this year guys). No perfect gift, no sparkly Christmas tree, and no elaborate dinner could equate to that warm glow in my heart. Funny enough, since there was no stress surrounded by the things that American society dictates to be the determining factors of a happy holiday, it was one of my favorite holidays to have been had. Incidentally, the gifts were perfect, the decorations were beautiful, the food was delicious, and everyone was happy. If we all expected a little less and were grateful for a little more, I think we could ensure every holiday is a happy one. Merry Everything and Happy New Year! Love Always, Jen
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Jenavieve Anna Capri
Hi guys, I just wanted to pop in and let you know a few things about me. I'm a Commercial Dance major at Pace University. I nanny on the side to help me afford living in this beautiful city. I live by the three Ts - Trader Joes, TJ Max, and Target. If it's salted caramel anything, I will gladly put it in my mouth. In my eyes Disneyland is the OG and Disney World will never compare. Hopefully, you'll choose to continue to get to know me more through these blog posts and my social media. Connect With Me:
Instagram: @jenannacapri25 |