The De-Magicizing of Christmas

Christmas used to be a magical time of the year. And, when I say magical, I mean it in every sense of the word. Not only was it a time that was special and unique, but there was also an actual "magical" feeling to the whole thing. Santa Claus is, of course, magical but it was also a time when wishes came true. Most of the wishes were in the form of presents, but it was still something really cool. You could get all the gifts you'd dreamed of...plus all the ones you hadn't had the creativity to dream of.

Now, Christmas is Christmas. It's a time to be with loved ones and get some new stuff. A lot of times, you know what you're getting, and you're occasionally re-opening stuff you bought for yourself. Tomorrow is Christmas, and I'm pretty sure I know exactly what I'm getting. And, as far as things I'm looking forward to getting, there's only a couple of things.

And that's sad to me. Christmas used to be a really cool time of the year. And while there's still that anticipation that it's going to be the same as it used to be, it hasn't delivered those same feelings in a really long time. I'm sure things will be different when I have kids, but in this middle stage of my life, it's really just depressing to think about. And it all comes down to a few factors.

1. The magic is gone. Like I said earlier, Christmas was shrouded in magic. You'd believe that Santa Claus was out there watching you, knowing exactly what would make you happy on Christmas morning. He was like a guardian angel, making sure that all the good boys and girls were rewarded. Christmas, of course, is a religious holiday, but it's a completely different feeling for little kids. Because they actually get their "heaven" one day every year, where they're rewarded for being good all year. They "pray" to Santa and get what they asked for if they deserve it. Perhaps, Christmas is the opiate of young kids.

2. Work. Christmas was really cool because you got time off from school. And not a three-day weekend or even a week like on Spring Break. You get weeks off - plural. You get to stay up late, go see movies, and do sleepovers on weekdays. And, after Christmas, you get to play with all your cool new toys and show your friends.

Now, I get one day off - Christmas day. Some people get Christmas Eve off, but a lot of people don't. And if you work in Corporate America, you might be able to use vacation time, but it's usually used by management who have seniority over you. So Christmas is just a day off...nothing special.

3. No more wishes. When you're a kid, you have all these things that you want. Specific action figures that your friends will be jealous of. Movies that you haven't seen since they were in theaters. A new bike. Even simple things like a football.

When you're an adult, you have money and access to whatever you want. If you want a movie, you don't have to wait until Christmas to get it. You drive to the store, hand the dude your credit card, and it's done. If you want a bike, go buy one. All the wishes you had are spread out over the course of the year...to the point where, on Christmas, there's not really anything you want. Even if you get the idea of getting something on December 15, you're probably more likely to go get it then instead of asking someone for it or buying it and wrapping it for Christmas.

And there's less stuff you want. New clothes are the staple...along with the ever-present gift cards. Most of the things we spend money on (cars, vacations, housing) aren't really "Christmas gift" things. And even simple things like movies are readily accessible now with premium cable showing movies 24/7 and things like Netflix. Why buy a DVD when you can watch the movie whenever you want from several different media?

4. The payoff. Christmas morning was really cool because you'd wake up and see all this cool stuff that Santa brought (AKA, things too big to wrap). Then you get to open presents. Then...the payoff. You get to call your friends and tell them all the cool stuff you got. And go outside and show the neighbor kids. And then go hang out with your friends and see what they got.

Now, you have a bunch of gift cards, stuff you bought yourself, and clothes. You're not going to call your friend and tell them you got $25 at Best Buy. You're not going to tell them you bought some movie that you both have already seen. And you're not going to show up at his house, showing off your brand-new sweater.

When you're done, you just clean up all the wrapping paper and put everything away. It's over before you know it, and it just feels like a letdown. Especially if you try and fool yourself into thinking that the magic is coming back. That you'll get something that everyone will be jealous of. Or, like when you were a kid, something you didn't even know you wanted.

And I guess this is the time when you're supposed to look beyond the "childish" parts of Christmas. When it's not about the presents anymore, it should be about the meaning behind Christmas. The religious parts, being nice to your fellow man, and all that stuff. Which, I suppose is my assignment for this Christmas.

But it's hard not to remember what things used to be. Especially for someone like me, who finds yesterday always better than today. And as someone who is still desperately hoping that magic exists in our world, it's always sad to remember all the magic that's been lost over the years.

Not a very happy Christmas message...but maybe thinking about it will help us find it all again.