Christmas

Christmas has always been my favourite holiday. I know a lot of people complain about the commercialism of the season, but if you take that away it's still the most magical time of the year. Over the last decade or so, there's been growing debate as to whether it's more appropriate to say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays; I say who cares!? Yes Christmas can be stressful, but I think more people need to take the time to enjoy it and the amazingness it has to offer.

As I said, Christmas has always been my favourite holiday. I used to celebrate New Year's, but I sort of outgrew that years ago; I never outgrew Christmas though. There's something special about Christmas; the lights, the music, the snow - if you're lucky enough to get snow. It's just a magical season which, sadly, most people don't seem to get a chance to enjoy once they get older. Christmas still brings out the childhood excitement in me. Seeing Santa at the mall, looking at the colourful decorations, it brings back special memories and makes me feel happy.

I understand people's frustration with the commercialism of Christmas. People get put under a lot of stress trying to find presents for friends and family; running up bills, and overspending because "it's that time of the year." Christmas could be a wonderful time, and more enjoyable, if people took some time to ignore the commercialism. Yes, eventually you're going to have to face the stress of Christmas shopping, but you can also make time to do other things such as going skating, or taking a walk and enjoying people's outdoor lights and decorations. Christmas does not have to be as stressful as we make it out to be. Remember, this is the season we're supposed to be kind and loving to each other; everybody needs to take a collective breath, relax, and try to enjoy the small things.

Another thing that has made Christmas less enjoyable over the past couple of years is the debate over whether Merry Christmas is politically correct, or if Happy Holidays should be more widely used so as to not offend anybody. My reaction is who cares? People are way too over sensitive these days, and no matter what you do or say there's always going to be somebody that's offended. To me, Happy Holidays includes New Year's, and can also be used to incorporate other religious celebrations held this time of the year. If you're offended by EITHER Merry Christmas OR Happy Holidays, you need to lighten up. I use both, not because I'm trying to avoid offending anybody, but because they essentially both mean the same thing to me. Use whichever one you want to use, but if other people want to use something else that's their right to do so.

There's so many movies and television specials on this time of the year reminding us about the magic and spirit of the season, why do we have to be so salty and find every small thing we can to complain about? Ultimately, Christmas isn't about the presents or the stress of shopping, Christmas is about the spirit of sharing; sharing time with people you love, sharing the joy of the appearance of lights and decorations, sharing memories of Christmases past. We all need to spend a little less time stressing out, and a little more time enjoying the season for the spirit and magic that it has to offer.