As much as I love the holidays, it seems to be an annual thing for most people, that we find ourselves thinking Whoa, the holidays really snuck up on me! Like they haven’t been sneaking up on us for the past six years. Despite that, though, there’s one thing that never fails to sneak up on me: the annoying attitude of jaded party poopers who think they have a Ph.D in maturity for publicly loathing all things festive.
Look, it’s no secret-at this point, Christmas is far more of a time for gifts, family and celebration than it is religion (that’s not to say that the religious aspect is completely lost, though). People from many different faiths use Christmas as a time to be with family and give gifts–not necessarily celebrate Jesus’s birthday. I come from a Muslim and very distantly Methodist household, and I’m completely unapologetic in saying Christmas is my favorite holiday. My biggest problem with this season is that every year, someone makes me feel ashamed for playing into the festive aspect of the season.
No, I’m not talking about the unnecessary imposition of Christmas on the general public, many of whom might not celebrate the holiday. I dislike the angry “Why do I have to say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas?” mob just as much as the next person. I’m talking about the tweets that start popping up on my timeline Nov.1 shunning their audience for listening to “All I Want for Christmas is You” before Thanksgiving even happened. I see absolutely no problem getting a peppermint mocha as soon as the temperature drops below 55 degrees. For the most part, the holiday haters are more prevalent in my life than the holiday itself.
To the people that actively complain about holiday decorations being up in stores on December 1, it’s not that deep. Seeing a few decorative candy canes hung around your grocery store will not send you into catatonic shock. There’s no reason that a few string lights should work you up into a public fit of rage. It’s not hard to let people enjoy things that come around once a year and are, quite frankly, meant to spread joy. In 2020, maybe we all need a little bit more of that holiday spirit. The next time you hear Mariah Carey’s voice, instead of opening your phone to write a hate-letter to Santa Claus you could just ignore it. Better yet, you could actually try to enjoy it.
Photo courtesy of the Chicago Transit Authority
