Getting Nostalgic

Every year at this time, I inevitably end up thinking about Christmases spent as a kid, and everything that entailed. You know, things like not worrying about finding parking at malls, or having to be anywhere in particular, or finishing piles (and piles) of work before taking a few days off.

As a kid, Christmas meant a week off from school, hopefully with little-to-no homework (except from that one teacher who just didn't seem to know that Santa Claus was going to bring many things to distract us all from doing that 5-page report on The Giver), sleeping late, playing video games, and what have you.

You never really get back that sense of complete and utter freeness that a Christmas (or summer) vacation gave you as a kid, and now that I'm older, it never ceases to amaze me how excited I get about having a week off.

The 10-year-old me would be horrified at the prospect of only getting 5 or 10 days off over the course of an entire year.

And let's not even mention the stack of work that will be waiting for me when I get back to work in the New Year. But, still, somehow Christmas manages to captivate me enough that I get truly and honestly excited about things like gift-giving and Christmas Eve comics reading and desert on Christmas Day.

I used to look at all the grown-ups in my family--my grandmothers especially--and wonder how they felt at Christmas. Here were all the kids, opening presents and staying up late in anticipation and laughing and screaming and being...well, captivated...by it all.

And there the older folks sat, just looking on.

That must be tough, I used to think. Just sitting there while we literally lived through some of the best days of our youth.

Of course, as I got older, I realized just how cool it must have been for the older family members to watch and to remember and to smile. We might not be able to ever experience Christmas as we did when we were kids, but there's still plenty of fun to be had.

Plenty of magic to experience.

Sure, it's corny and I'm sure a lot of you have stopped reading, but you still watched Linus give his speech this year. And, admit it, you still got a little choked up when Charlie Brown and friends found a way to make that sad little tree something special.

Things change as we get older, yeah. But I've had three holiday parties/dinners just this past week, and I have to say. I had a blast. Driving into town with all the lights on trees and in windows, restaurants packed with people exchanging gifts.

Sure, I drove around for twenty minutes last night trying to find a parking spot, but still.

The destination more than made up for the journey.

I have no idea what I'm trying to get across with this post. I really don't. And I know I'm not being politically correct by using Christmas instead of Holiday. But you all know that I really mean Holiday, and whatever it might be that you celebrate and enjoy.

I hope you all have some fun this week. And I hope each one of you gets to experience just a little bit of magic. Because that would be cool.