Going home for break after my first semester of college, the holiday season feels different to me now than it has in the past. After having finals suck the life out of me, it’s great to go home and realize what really matters. Christmas in particular has taken on a different meaning than it did when I was little. Most people can agree that it’s a time of joy and love when family comes together to reflect on the past and the present. However, with age, the holidays tend to turn into something different. While the young are excited about Santa, presents, and cookies, the elders reflect on the lost of love ones while also cherishing those that are still with them. After asking people of all ages, this is what they had to say about the holiday season.

1. “The holidays mean a lot a lot a lot of desserts and people being happy because of the excitement of getting a much needed break and seeing family and being thankful for friends and family” - 19 year old college student

2. “Spending time with family… love, joy, and celebrating baby Jesus’ birthday and receiving presents from Santa Claus” - 7 year old

3. “Baking cookies and eating all the dough” - 19 year old college student

4. “The holiday season is a true blessing to be able to spend time with family and loved ones. As we grow older, we begin to understand the true meaning of Christmas. It’s not just about getting presents, it’s about giving, sharing, and surrounding ourselves with our loved ones. It becomes more emotional as we have lost our loved ones during the course of the years prior to the season, but seeing the excitement and the thrill of a child on Christmas morning is priceless”- 65 year old

5. “The holidays are about sharing family traditions and creating new memories, the kinds of memories that will stand up to the test of time. It’s about spending time teaching my kids about their heritage and telling them stories about past holidays. The commitment of time and love around the holidays, the sharing of traditions and memories... this to me is what makes a family strong” - 29 year old

6. “Opening presents and baking cookies” - 4 year old

7. “The meaning of the holidays is spending time with family” - 29 year old

8. “Family and get-togethers and bringing back old times, new times… everyone is together; the old people, the new people, the babies… I don’t go down that road about who you lost and who you miss and all that stuff… I’m grateful for who I have in my life and you celebrate that… you don’t celebrate the people that are gone (in my heart) … I celebrated them when they were here with me and we all celebrated together, and now that they are gone I don’t celebrate them, I celebrate who’s in my life now. I celebrate life” – 69 year old

9. "It's a magical time of year, and I like making people happy. I love Christmas morning the most because I can see the excitement on my children's faces" - 45 year old

10. "Cookies" - 18 year old college student

11. "Eggnog" -19 year old college student

12. “Spending time with family, relaxing and happiness… It means a lot of food” - 18 year old college student

13. “A day off… Getting a chance to be with the people I love… hang out… relax… As the kids get older, Christmas takes on a new dynamic. When they were younger it meant toys and fun and smiles… and now it’s about being together”- 45 year old

14. "To spend time with family and relatives who you don't see frequently... appreciate family" - 20 year old college student

15. "The lights and happiness and being with family no matter why or what you are celebrating" - 18 year old college student

Regardless of age, this is the time of year that brings family and friends together to bake, laugh, reminisce, and love. It's a time when watching Elf every night and belting out Christmas songs is socially acceptable. Lights are everywhere, and hot chocolate and cookies are in everyone's houses. It's a special season that brings out the best (and sometimes the worst) in people, but in the end, when it's over, we all have to wait 365 days for it to happen all over again.