Definition Essay: The New Meaning Of Christmas

The day is here, Christmas Eve children are putting out milk and cookies for Santa hoping he arrives before sleep takes over and the chance to catch a glimpse of him putting gifts under the tree dissipates. Being a kid at Christmas is an exciting and magical time that is dreamt about and waited for all year long. Children’s tired eyes open on Christmas morning to see the cookies are gone and the gifts are all wrapped up under the tree waiting to be opened. Years have come and gone and the ones who were once children are now parents, Christmas season takes on a whole new meaning of exciting and magical. The meaning of Christmas is largely different once people have a family of their own as opposed to their child like beliefs, even though the

All my friends and I discussing what we want to get for Christmas and what our families are planning to do for the day, what cousins we will have to see and play nice with because after all it is Christmas. I can remember the excitement on Christmas Eve with gifts already under the tree taunting me and me begging my mom to just open one as I shake them to see if I can guess what they are. Now as a parent I realize that the presents aren't as important as the memories I make with my children. As most parents do we want to get them things that they have been asking for all year so we can see their faces light up on Christmas morning but more importantly I want them to have life long memories. As parents we now understand the expenses that come with the Christmas season and all its beauty. Of course there are the gifts that if not budgeted can put people themselves in a tight spot financially and unfortunately a lot do. Then there is the cost of decorating the tree and the house inside and out then there’s the food lots and lots of

I can remember waking my brother up telling him Santa came look at all the presents under the tree. We would both rush into our parent’s room yelling Santa came, get up get up its Christmas. I remember them moving in what seemed like slow motion, first to make coffee pot and then to the tree. Finally we get to open our presents and there I was in the most exciting and magical moment of my life, or at least that’s what I was thinking. 20 Years later and I’m the slow moving parent who hits the coffee pot before the presents under the tree. I now know why my parents moved so slowly and needed there coffee boost before the chaos of gift opening. Christmas Eve is just as exciting for parents only with some extra work having to be put in. First there is making sure there are cookies for Santa and in my house that means homemade no store bought. Then there is the struggle with getting the kids to bed at a decent hour without making them too suspicious. Once the kids have been wrangled to sleep my husband and I commence with our elf duties. There is the wrapping of presents, eating the cookies and drinking the milk which I leave up to my husband the carrots are usually mine, and assembling toys. By the time gifts have been wrapped, cookies are eaten, and the toys have been assembled without waking