As students walked into Winthrop High School on Tuesday November 1st, their thoughts were occupied by a selection of topics ranging from their Halloween to the homework they needed to complete. However my brain was focused on something more important  when I walked into school. The only thing I could think about was the day’s date. November 1st can only signify one thing; that it is officially time to start talking about Christmas!

I was so excited by the feeling of holiday magic that swirled in the air. I couldn’t wait to tell my best friends about my  official countdown to Christmas but I was met with less excited faces. In fact their reactions were all so contradictory to what I was feeling. They all told me that it wasn’t Christmas time yet and that you need to wait until after Thanksgiving for it to officially be the holiday season. I walked away from my friends so disappointed by their collective message. As I walked around the school last week, I saw and heard other students having the same argument my friend group has been stuck in since. Is it too early to start discussing Christmas? My answer, absolutely not!

Everyone has one holiday that they just love a little bit more than the other ones. For me that holiday has always been  Christmas. My family is responsible for my love of Christmas. I grew up surrounded by a family who celebrated Christmas to its full potential each year. Before I was born, my grandparents used to set up a Christmas village that spanned across their entire dining room. The village had a working sound system, fake snow and was known to be a provider of holiday cheer for those who saw it. My cousins and older sister brought their elementary teachers up to see the village. My mom even brought her Head Start class up to see it as a field trip.  By the time I was born, the pressures of setting it up became too intense so they stopped doing it. This isn’t my only example of my family going all out for Christmas. Directly after the Tree Lighting each year, my grandparents light up their house with Christmas lights. We all pack tightly together across the street as we wait for my grandfather to turn everything on. Honestly, this moment signifies that the holiday season has officially begun! Every year it is too cold to stand outside for long, so we all run inside, shivering as we re-enter their home.

There is indescribable joy associated with Christmas time. This joy does not come from a store or better yet from Amazon. This joy comes from the people we are blessed to love. The only gift that really matters, is the gift of family and friends. They are the people that can turn the ordinary into extraordinary.They are the people that we are so lucky to be able to say we have in our lives. The holidays are a time of togetherness and love. During Covid(along with a majority of people), I realized how much I needed to have my family around me during the holidays. Without them, it does not feel the same. Christmas is more than gifts and family. I would even go as far to say that it is more than even a time of year. Christmas is so much more than Santa and an evergreen tree. I fully understand the true meaning of Christmas. Every gathering celebrated that day also serves as a birthday party! Christmas represents the best of us all. We are more compassionate towards one another and more willing to share our blessings. The best parts of us are shown.

As a little girl, Christmas morning was always the best day of the year. My parents never made us wait for a certain time for Christmas to start. For my sister and I, Christmas started as soon as we woke up, even if it was two in the morning.  I remember running as fast as my little legs could possibly carry me to get to the living room, hoping that Santa would have found us. Even in the pitch black of the room, I could see that “Santa had come in a big way”. The lights would be turned on and my sister would be forced to roll out of bed. Our couch was divided equally, with each side differing in presents. Contrary to the Taylor Swift guitar books, the One Direction Poster and John Greene books that lined my sister’s side, my side looked a little different.  Princess decor, toys and a make your own marker kit occupied the right side of the couch.  I will never forget the thrill I felt when I saw the large pink box in front of the couch. Santa had answered my letter and had brought me the Barbie camper. We all have our own version of the Barbie camper. No matter what it may have been, there was an item delivered by Santa that played a large role in your childhood. In the Polar Express, it talks about when  you grow up, your belief in the magic of Christmas dims. There is no reason to lose the sound of your bell. Yes the magic has changed, but you can still find the magic of Christmas. You just need to look harder to find it.

I love everything about the holiday season. Personally, I don’t think it is ever too early to start discussing Christmas. I watch Christmas movies in July and I’m always up to listening to “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey. For me, Christmas isn’t just a holiday, but a way of life. No matter what holiday you celebrate, I hope it brings you the same happiness that Christmas has brought to my life.  While many people are under the impression that we need to travel one holiday at a time, I disagree. I think that we should all have something to look forward to and believe in all year long. So my Christmas countdown currently sits at 45 days and honestly I’m so excited! I cannot wait for the radio stations to start blasting Christmas music and for the town to be covered in lights. This year, “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”…