If genies were real and we were all given one wish, I can make the assumption that most of us would ask to either rewind to our childhood years, or just request to never age. Everything was better and more exciting as a kid: birthdays, trips to the toy store, the first day of school, and most importantly, Christmas. Now, as a 19-year old college student, I no longer receive visits from Santa Clause, or even make a wish list to give to my parents. That was Christmas as a child, but it is different as a young adult. But does that mean that I will stop enjoying Christmas? No, it just means that I will enjoy it in a different way.
Instead of being excited for my visit from Santa Clause, I now get excited for visits to and from family that I do not get to see throughout the hectic year. Yes, we still do exchange gifts with these extended family members, but that is not the aspect that I look forward to. The real gift is the fact that we have all lived another year to celebrate the holiday with one another, exchanging laughs, stories and memories along with gifts.
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Instead of simply being a gift receiver, we are now at a point in our lives where we are expected to use the money from our part-time jobs and buy Christmas presents for our loved ones. It may sound cliché, but I actually do enjoy buying presents for other people more than I do receiving them (it's just the wrapping that I can live without). The look on someone's face when they unwrap something that they can truly appreciate is priceless.
Instead of just being photographed for the annual family Christmas card, you now have a say in the theme and layout for it. It may take a few years for your family to actually appreciate and use your ideas, but we have to start somewhere!
Instead of laying around the house eating the Christmas cookies that your mom and grandmother bake, you now join in that baking yourself. Yes, you are finally old enough to handle this deeming task! And trust me when I say, the cookies taste even better knowing that you helped bake them.
Instead of waiting for the last bell of the day in high school to ring so we can begin our Christmas break, we now wait for our last final to be over so we can cut up all of our study notes into paper snowflakes and officially get into the festive holiday spirit.
We used to love when the first snow of the season came so that we would be able to go sledding or make our own snowman and forts. Now as young adults, our task is to shovel that snow instead of playing in it. My parents will probably read this part and laugh, as they have to literally drag me to do any sort of physical activity, so I suppose this is one aspect that I can live without.
While many people believe Christmas loses its excitement as you grow older, I see it as the exact opposite. As you get older, you learn to count your blessings instead of counting your gifts or the number of gift cards you received. Christmas is a special time of year that everyone should be able to cherish, not just our youth.
