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Proud to be a Christmas fanatic -- it's what I do best
By Brock Anderson
December 14, 2005 | Credit cards
are being swiped and bells are being jingled a little
more frequently this time of year. Yes, Christmas Day
is rapidly approaching and holiday shoppers are busy
checking their lists twice to make sure they haven't
forgotten anything.
Most teenage boys' wish lists are full of video games
and other electronic gadgets. The Xbox 360, iPod Nano
and Tony Hawk's American Wasteland video game are just
a few of the hot items that teenagers want this year.
I was not a typical 14-year-old teenage boy; video
games and music systems were of no concern to me. My
one wish for Christmas in 1996 was to receive my own
Christmas village. I was so excited to find a 16-piece
Victorian village set when I unwrapped my presents Christmas
morning. For the next 11 months I waited anxiously until
I could display my new gift.
Receiving a Christmas village set at the age of 14,
and being elated about it, characterizes who I am in
a nutshell -- a Christmas fanatic. For as long as I
can remember I have waited with great anticipation during
the year for the Christmas season to arrive. There's
magic in the air during December that is sadly nonexistent
the remainder of the year.
Listening to Christmas music for me doesn't start
in December, or even November when some people think
that's the absolute earliest time it can be played.
When September rolls around it's out with the Christmas
carols for me. Now, I don't listen to Christmas music
nonstop from September to December, but I like to have
those three months to warm up for the time when I will
be playing it day and night.
I don't make anyone else listen to "Carol of the Bells"
in September, but I enjoy such music in the privacy
of my own room or car. There are so many fabulous Christmas
carols at our fingertips that I feel like we are giving
the composers of these songs a great disservice by playing
them for only one month out of the entire year.
When I was younger I loved the season so much that
I put up Christmas decorations in my room the day after
Halloween. It's not that I didn't acknowledge or care
about Thanksgiving; I simply wanted to enjoy the sights
and sounds of Christmas for more than one month. I was
quite capable of being thankful for my blessings while
enjoying my twinkling Christmas tree at the same time.
Many people go shopping the day after Thanksgiving,
but in my parent's house we always put up the Christmas
tree, lights and decorations. Every year since I was
a little boy I've received a new ornament to put on
the tree. Taking all of these ornaments from the box
and hanging them on the tree each year brings back pleasant
memories of years past. It's a tradition that I will
continue with my future family.
Now some people will rant and rave about how wrong
it is to be putting up Christmas decorations before
it's even December. All I have to say is that I respect
other people's opinions and I'm not forcing Christmas
on anyone else. I want people to realize that it's not
the physical nature of the decorations that make the
holiday so special for me, but the feelings that come
from seeing things like brightly lit Christmas trees
or houses shimmering with lights that make me enjoy
the season so much. It's being able to feel young again
and sit in wonder amidst twinkling lights, watching
fluffy snowflakes fall to the ground through the window
that make Christmas so special.
What other time of year is so focused on joy, hope,
peace and love? Christmas emphasizes giving, rather
than receiving -- something that everyone could be reminded
of a little more often. If people were as selfless as
they are at Christmas time during the other 11 months
of the year, the world would be a better place.
I'm proud to be called a Christmas fanatic. While
others are passionate about golf or scrapbooking, a
Victorian village set does it for me. I'll stick to
Christmas - it's what I do best.
NW
MS |
