When was the last time you jumped in a pile of leaves?
From jumping in leaves to making cookies for Santa Claus, the childhood memories we hold dearly from the holiday season have suddenly become distant, impossible to recreate. Whether maturity came too soon or we felt pressured to grow up alongside everyone else, comparison to others’ presented fashion of celebrating has taken a toll on both thoughts and actions during the holiday season.
This peer pressure to constrain holiday activities appears everywhere, specifically on social media, yet determined celebrators speak out all the same. Many advise extravagant ways to get back these lost traditions in aging households, with everything from forcing family bonding time to grabbing unknown traditions from the comfort of neighbor’s homes.
But who said holiday cheer is meant to be structured? Throughout childhood, our love for holidays was never questioned or overcomplicated. Holiday cheer is a natural act, an unavoidable part of this season—and as older individuals, we must acknowledge that and use it in order to keep it alive.
After all, the best ornaments are those tarnished with a story, the best pie recipe performed from memory in ‘pinches’ and ‘dashes’. The holiday season is not about the gifts or the stockings, it’s about the stories and memories experienced through the simple act of spreading love. It spawns from spontaneous acts performed with authenticity and a true desire to experience joy.
“Now that I have after school activities and school it’s harder to fit in the time to celebrate,” commented holiday fanatic and Summit Freshman, Stella Tucker. “I think that having those little spontaneous moments around the holidays can make someone a lot less stressed, and happy.”
We can sit here and sulk about how holidays don’t feel the same and how we don’t have time to correctly celebrate, or we can simply live and enjoy the season as we used to. Let us celebrate the holidays as we authentically can, from a jump in the leaves this past fall to watching snow fall this winter.
