Christmas.

Now I'm gonna go deep with you guys. I'm gonna talk about what Christmas really means to me. So I'm gonna split it up into two parts. The religious and the personal.

Now I will concede that Christmas was put where it is to probably disrupt the pagans celebrating the Winter Solstice, but I don't think that gives it any less meaning than it had before. And by saying that I believe it gives Christmas more of a "symbolic" sense rather than a religious one, which is something I disagree with. It is Christmas because it commemorates the birth of Christ after all. That is where most classic Christmas traditions come from, now I'm talking about things like the tree topper being either a star or an angel, gift giving, the basis for so many of the Carols, and much more. Then again not all traditions are based in Christianity. But then again it is the Christian Christmas that has mostly unified the winter holiday for at least the Western world, bringing together both Christians and non-Christians for a holiday that is now positively seen as being non religiously about family and generosity.

And with that unintentional segue I'm now going to talk about my more personal view of what Christmas means to me. So here I am sitting in Starbucks thinking about Christmas and several words pop into my head, and to start off I will list off some of these words. Happy, Family, Cheer, Generosity, Over Indulgence, Gifts, Together. For me this year I won't be having my Christmas on Christmas day but I will be celebrating on the 28th or 29th because for me Christmas is the time for me to be with family, that is my mom and my brother. Now we won't all be together until the 28th. I will be commemorating Christmas with some of my family in town but that is just not quite the same thing. Christmas is a celebration to be shared with family and those you love as well as those who love you. Now Christmas is a special time of the year, no matter your religion or any other distinguishing factor and for this I'd like to share another quote from a song, "Christmas, it makes way for Spring"- Relient K (Boxing Day). Now look at that quote however you wish. But how I see it, it is true both metaphorically and literally.

Post Script: Have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Christmas traditions.

After today just one more Friday until Christmas and there are just so many things that I could talk about. And as I am writing this I am not even sure what I should talk about. And yet I do know what I am writing next week as well as my posts for pre and post New Years.

But Christmas traditions seems like it would be interesting to talk about. This is of course based on the diversity that this allows. And I'm not just talking family traditions, but personal traditions as well. I am saying this because I know that I have Christmas traditions that my mom doesn't have and vice versa. Let me give an example. Me: Christmas music starts in my headphones on November 1st, Mom: No Christmas stuff until after December 1st (except shopping), Family: Only stockings can be opened or explored before everyone else is awake.

I feel like Christmas traditions whether personal, familiar, or otherwise are crucial to giving Christmas that special feeling that helps distinguish it from other holidays. You get similar food at Thanksgiving, gift giving happens at both Birthdays, and Valentine's Day, families get together for reunions, sweets come on Halloween. So it's not the typical things that happen on Christmas that separates it from other holidays it truly is the traditions that are held by people and families that make Christmas what it is.

Sidebar. In writing this my mind went to a line in a Christmas song, "What's December without Christmas Eve" Peppermint Winter - Owl City

I get overly excited when November hits so I can start the happy sounds of Christmas music. After my birthday I know things will get sparkly and greener despite most of the leaves having already fallen off the trees. December means it is now socially acceptable for me to watch the animated "How The Grinch Stole Christmas". My house is filled with the magnificent smells of Christmas baking. These are all Christmas traditions that fill me up with the joy of Christmas. It truly is not December without Christmas.

So what are some of your Christmastime traditions?

Post Script: I feel like I should explain that my focus on Christmas and not the other holidays of this season is because I don't fit into them.

Real versus Fake. The tree debate.

I've experienced both of these to some degree or another and feel uniquely qualified to share. So I've never actually had a live tree of my own, my family has been synthetic my whole life. But I've been to several houses, and a couple parties including one last night with a real tree.

I'm gonna start with synthetic trees because that's what I know best. Call them what you want, fake, plastic, or whatever and that might be true. Who says that has to be necessarily bad. I mean when you think about it one of these trees could last a dozen plus years or even up to a life time. So there's only one payment required, you don't have to spend money each year and you don't need to take time to pick out a tree each year. Then there's the fire risk, though when it comes to Christmas fires it is more likely that the fire will start from the electrical outlet than the tree itself, because even if the tree is considered flame retardant wood is more flammable than plastic. Then there is the issue of the mess. With any tree real or synthetic there will be some sort of mess, because the needles still fall off no matter what. Whereas the real trees you've got needles falling off all the time, not just the casual few either. Then at the end you've got a dead tree to deal with rather than a tree to just put back in its' box until next year.

Now on to real trees. And that's easily the best and simplest way to describe them. They fill your house with the real smell of evergreen tree in your house and that is something that can't be synthetically replicated by any means and it blends greatly with the other traditional scents of Christmas time. Also real trees not only look fuller but are so much fuller and shapely, giving them a very much more natural shape that synthetics haven't quite captured. From what I've heard picking out a tree as a family can be a very enjoyable Christmas tradition. Then when Christmas is over, rather than throwing out the tree if you've got a fireplace or fire pit, after all the needles have fallen off you've got the great beginnings of a fire.

They both have their pros and cons, I'm not here to make any sort of judgments on what kind of tree you should get or try and say one kind of tree is better than another. But there is one judgment I will make: if your tree isn't green, it's weird. The white trees, aluminum trees, or any other unnaturally coloured trees are just strange. I just feel like it's not right. It's just one of these things that I just don't understand. And I don't know why people do it.

Post Script: Where are you in this debate? I'd like to go for a  real tree one day, I think it would be nice to have my house smell as Christmas-ey as possible.