CHRISTMAS SPIRIT X3000
Am I the only one who gets exceptionally excited once Thanksgiving is over? Precisely two days after this beloved holiday, my family put up the scentless artificial tree that we've had for 5+ years, strung it with multicolored lights, and adorned it with the same Christmas ornaments that go up every year. Mom hung the stockings and Dad strung the lights around the house and around the little tree we have in between the living room windows.
Now, every evening at about 6 o'clock, it starts getting dark, so the lights are all switched on. I don't know what it is - maybe it's a sense of nostalgia from Christmases past - but every time we gather in the living room to watch a cheesy little Christmas cartoon, I get all fluttery and excited. I actually danced to Michael Buble with my little sister, in front of everyone, right in the middle of the living room. You know how often that doesn't happen?
Also, I strung lights around my window and the desk in my bedroom [home-school life]. I had been keeping them on all day, but rather than waste electricity and risk having all the lights in and out of the house burn out, I decided to keep them on from 6-ish to 10 [PM], because unless it's dark outside, the lights aren't actually that bright.
I tried to take some cool pictures of them, but only one out of the 3204827 pictures I took actually looked halfway decent, if even that.
[I could really use a DSLR]
Subsequently, once Christmas is over, I get depressed all of a sudden. It's like there's no longer anything to look forward to aside from school [that is nothing to get excited about]. New Years doesn't really excite me that much. Yeah, I like watching the ball drop on television, but I've never really been one to get all elated over the start of a new year, to be honest. Christmas is really the only holiday [aside from my birthday] that I ever get really, really enthusiastic about.
I know at least a couple of my friends are in the Christmas spirit, but I do wonder about the rest of the world. What if I lived in a country where Christmas wasn't celebrated - where it was frowned upon? What if I lived in a region where it didn't snow in December? what if I didn't have a family? What if I was a hermit and couldn't afford lights or a tree?
I have often thought about moving out and becoming a hermit, actually...
But in all seriousness, what would I do if I didn't have what I have? What if I wasn't happy around Christmastime; what if I had seasonal depression and spent all my time under an artificial lamp? What if I hadn't ever had the privilege of hearing the Christmas story? If I lived anywhere else, in any other time, with any other family, surrounded by any other people, what would my life be like?
These are the thoughts that run through my head 70% of the time...
Although Thanksgiving is over, I don't think it's too late to state what I'm thankful for. I'm glad I have a family who loves me as much as [possibly more than] I love them. I'm glad I have friends who accept and appreciate me. I'm thankful for a roof over my head and the clothes on my body and in my closet. I'm thankful for the abundance of food and clean water that I have access to 24/7. I'm thankful for advancement in technology. I'm thankful for space heaters and colorful LED lights. I'm glad that I live in a free country, where I can celebrate Christmas any time of the year if I want to [although that'd be a little odd to see- some girl walking around in a parka in the middle of July singing Jingle Bells]. Above all, I'm thankful for my Savior and the grace that saved me. Without Him, I would have nothing and I would be nothing. I credit Jesus Christ 100% for my success, my health, my family, my past and future experiences, and all the things I've ever been thankful for.
Including port-a-pots, which are what I stated I was thankful for in 2011...
This was a rather lengthy post. I'll admit, I didn't intend to go as deep as I did but nonetheless, I wish you all a Merry Christmas because I probably won't post anything until 2014. So happy new year and all that jazz. Until next year.
"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without boxes, it came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more." -Dr. Seuss; How the Grinch Stole Christmas
"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without boxes, it came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more." -Dr. Seuss; How the Grinch Stole Christmas
~JK