Christmas lights.
Maybe it's my fixation with shiny things... maybe it's the beautiful way they glow in the evening light... but you'd be hard-pressed to find something I'd rather do than go see Christmas lights in December. I fully intend to be one of those households that out-shines everyone else in the neighborhood, not because I'm trying to be a jerk, but because I love Christmas lights that much. It's hard not to smile when you drive by a house that really put some effort into decorating.
Christmas at Starbucks.
December is the only time of year that I am consistently willing to spend money on fufu coffee. The Peppermint Mocha Latte is Christmas in a cup, and I cannot be sad when I am drinking this coffee. The day before one of my exams this month I decided to get a coffee before diving into an intense afternoon of studying. What actually happened was I took a sip of the coffee and proceeded to put on Christmas music and spend the entire afternoon decorating my apartment. Time well spent? I think so. (I also passed the exam with flying colors, so there's that.)
Christmas music.
From the classic Christmas carols to the new renditions of old favorites, I can't help but love Christmas music. It just makes my heart happy. My favorite is "Carol of the Bells". This is partially because it was a tradition to sing it at our Christmas concert every December in choir and partially because it has so much going on and there are so many versions of it. It's impossible to become bored with that song. (Note: I cannot stand the song "Feliz Navidad". I have no idea why, but it annoys the living daylights out of me... which seems silly because I love Spanish so much.)
Christmas trees.
I'm not sure if its the tree itself or the decorating that I love more, but the finished product is so beautiful I can't help but feel at home when a Christmas tree is in the room. Pulling out the boxes of ornaments and deciding which to put on a tree appeals to the organizational side of me, and the aesthetic appeal of the finished product never fails to light up a room. It's like a 3-D collage of memories. I recently changed my formerly-negative opinion about artificial trees and although I love the smell of evergreen, I like the idea of being able to design everything about a tree right down to where you want the branches. Also, artificial trees come with lights. Win.
Christmas desserts.
I don't think this needs much explaining. Baking becomes infinitely more fun around Christmas time, and baking for the sake of giving the baked goods to other people is my favorite. I can make delicious treats simply because I love to and then give them to other people who will love eating them. Everyone wins with Christmas cookies and fudge.
Christmas presents.
My philosophy on gift-giving has changed a lot over the years. I no longer create a list of people for whom I am obligated to find gifts. Instead, I remain open to the possibility of giving presents to everyone, provided that I have an idea that is clever, ironic, or specific to that individual. Essentially, my gift-giving must be intentional. One of the many positives to this philosophy is that girls will never receive a generic bath set from me (unless you tell me a fragrance you like or I think it's really what you want). One of the negatives to this philosophy is that my gift-giving is inconsistent; just because you receive a wildly appropriate present this year does not mean you get one next year. It isn't because I don't love you; it's because I love you enough not to get you something for your junk drawer. I also would like to make it abundantly clear that I don't want things for my junk drawer either, so my anti-obligatory stance on presents goes both ways. Just send me a greeting card. I love greeting cards.
Ultimately, I have decided that I am okay with the commercialization of Christmas. December 25th wasn't Jesus' birthday, so I don't always think of it that way. Thinking about Christ should happen throughout the year, so I am personally not offended that Christmas has been transformed with some odd traditions. I just see it as a season with more spirit than the rest of the year, and each year I hold onto that spirit as long as I can. I haven't bought into the materialistic idea that presents=how much you love people, but I do like to make people happy. Looking for ways to brighten people's days and serve them is a good thing. It's a Christ-like thing. And I find that there are lots of out-of-the-ordinary ways to do that around this time of year... so maybe that's where Jesus fits into the picture. Maybe it is possible for Him and the over-commercialized Christmas traditions to coexist. Maybe it's just about joy.
I know it doesn't make sense to put lights on the outside of my house, Jim Gaffigan, but sometimes it's okay to just want things to be pretty.
