so i was conversing with my roommate about Christmas and how crazy it was to me that she wasn't excited about it, when she finally told me (in a way that, im sure, to her meant very little but to me was heartbreakingly sad) that her family never does anything on Christmas. they just have the day off and hang out together because no one has to go anywhere. she also said that Chrstimas is wayyy too over-comercialized as well. she hates it. and that is just so, so sad to me. like seriously, Christmas is one of the happiest holidays i know of; it's my favorite time of year and brings me so much joy. i just cannot imagine not being absolutely thrilled about it! there are tons of traditions at our house--delightful, lovely, exciting things that we do together as a family. there's present wrapping and music and tree decorating and Starbucks coffee and clearance shopping and dressing up and getting snuggly and cinnamon rolls and people and love. it's just all this wonderful, wonderful beauty. and so to hear someone say that they dont feel as excited as i do about Christmas is bizarre and horrible.Christmas should be a joyful, lovely time. it should not just be about superficial gift giving or an overpriced vacation. it should be about family and celebration and being grateful. i just wish she saw it that way, i wish i could show her how incredibly wonderful Christmas could be.
but there was one thing that i realized while we were conversing that made me even more sad that this. and that was that she said when she has kids, they're not going to celebrate Christmas that much either. like birthdays were always the big thing at her house, and that's how they'll be for her family as well. and as she said this i vowed also to ensure that Christmas was as fun for my kids as it has been for me. right then, however, is when it hit me: people, even young adults like us, so often view families and children as a chance to just pass down and empress upon other people what their own personal values are. like, beyond just holiday traditions, but actual values. it's like this socially acceptable way in which to control the world. you can force whatever opinons and views you want on your kids; i mean, they have to listen to you, and even if they rebel, you still will have an incredibly strong impact on them. and in a lot of ways that makes sense and is obviously how God intended it to work but still. it just seems a little off to me that people view families as being a good outlet for their own ideas. weird and unnerving and yet okay at the same time.
i dont know. just some thoughts i had....
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