In a sense, I personally feel that Christmas has lost something. I remember anxiously awaiting Christmas every year, when I was younger. Now, it has just become somewhat of another day to me.
If it were not for my wife, my children, and my family, I don't think Christmas would be as enjoyable as it is for me.
The thing is, I truly feel that a lot of people, including myself, have lost the spirit of Christmas, due to money.
With gas prices increasing, the price of gifts increasing, etc. It becomes more of a "Oh god, I have to buy all of this stuff".
The things that used to make Christmas the most festive holiday for me, were:
1. Family
2. shopping
3. decorations
4. gifts
5. Christmas dinner.
Ironically, I think that shopping has a lot to do with the "spirit" people feel during Christmas. It allows you to go out among the crowd, shop, look at the decorations, hear the Christmas music, etc. The trend od shopping online, has killed this aspect of Christmas. It has turned the holiday shopping experience into something we do everyday....sit in front of a screen, browser the net, etc. Now, we look at going out to shop as a pain, crowded, expensive, etc.
If you want to feel more festive, try putting the traditional things back into Christmas. Get out of the house, go shopping (shop online only when you can't find something in the store, or they're sold out, etc). Take the family out one night just to look at lights and decorations, and sing Christmas carols while you do it.
One thing to remember, and this is one of the most important (if you have kids)....Don't kill Santa for your kids. Don't let your own feelings about Christmas stop the magic of Christmas for your children. If they believe in Santa, then let them. Santa was real at one time, so you're not lying to them by allowing them to believe. It's called imagination. It's the one thing that sets children apart from adults, and adds magic to the season. One day they will lose this, and feel the way many adults do. So, don't kill it for them before they have a chance to experience it.
If you really think about what you would be taking from them....Sit back and remember what it was like when you were a child. Try to remember what Christmas was like, the excitement you felt that "Santa" was coming. The feeling you felt, when you went to sleep with a bare tree Christmas Eve, and woke up Christmas morning to the room full of gifts from "Santa". You got this warm, happy feeling, as your eye grew wider and wider with excitement.
Now, when you look into a child's eyes, and you see them feel the way you used to when you were a child, the sense of magic they feel, the excitement, the spirit of Christmas begins to rush back for you too.
Christmas spirit can only die, if you let it. Don't let that magic go without a fight.
