What I Want For Christmas From the World and For the World This Year

Christmas, regardless of the religious or areligious meaning that you give it, is a holiday that many people anticipate. Depending on which corner of the boxing ring you stand on, you can either dread the preparations that Christmas entails OR you can’t wait for Christmas to arrive.

How much you enjoy Christmas Day or Christmas Eve is up to you, but I only have one favor to ask you and as a matter of fact, this is what I want for Christmas this year: Don’t contaminate the excitement and good cheer of people who do like Christmas with your bad spirits,  in other words, your bad mood.

For many people, the day after Thanksgiving Day is more than Black Friday. It is a day when they can start decking their homes, and one would expect that it’s done with lots of “jolly.”
But, it sometimes isn’t. Why? Because there are family members that don’t like setting up the tree, for example. Yet unfortunately, they are usually the tallest people who can reach the tree’s higher altitudes. And what happens when this Scrooge gets in a bad mood? He/she ruins the first encounter with the Christmas spirit, of course. That ONE chance to have a good impression about the holiday season for that year is ruined. One year of someone in your family having this type of negative attitude can seem a coincidence and almost insignificant and even acceptable, but having the same person throw the same tantrum every year!? Really?! It gets super old! You know what the saddest thing is? That these Scrooges that dampen the joy of Christmas are not Scrooges for most of the year but they certainly wear their Scrooge costume super well on “Christmas tree setup day.” So, every year, your’e not expecting this Scrooge to appear out of nowhere with his/her bad mood, so it catches you by surprise when this “character” appears and the disillusion is even greater.

And just like in the tree-setup tradition mentioned above, I’m sure you can think of a Christmas tradition or two in which one of your family member rains on your parade when it comes to a perfectly healthy and acceptable holiday tradition. I feel sorry for you and most importantly, empathy for you because I know what it feels like.

To me, setting up the Christmas tree represents something special. Growing up, it was the only Holiday tradition where everybody in my family was civil, collaborative and happy about the Christmas season approaching. I miss that.

What if You Don’t Like Setting Up a Christmas Tree?

So, because life is not all peachy, and because for some reason, some people think that the beauty and wonder of a Christmas tree is insignificant, I implore you to avoid being a party pooper this holiday season. Yep, I get it, party-pooping can happen. So here are my tips:

If you don’t like setting up the Christmas tree, suck it up. If it’s really not possible for you to pretend you like setting up a Christmas tree, forgo accepting gifts from anyone for a year or two and allow people to instead use that money to buy your family a Christmas tree with lights pre-installed. Preferably, that Christmas tree should have wheels and be a breeze to set up with just a simple flip so that people can decorate it without your grumpy help.

There is a long list of recommendations that I can give so that you don’t mess up Christmas for the people who treasure it. I’ll save you the time of hearing me out. All I will say is that if you can’t avoid being needed for the Christmas preparations, put your best smiley face on in order to preserve the dwindling magic of the holiday season that many of us like to feel. If you can’t be grown-up about that, after a satisfying solution is provided that doesn’t affect the majority of the family, lock yourself up in your little room, scream into a pillow and let the rest of us enjoy the “Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, how lovely are your branches.” This advice might seem harsh, but literally, I want to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas and holiday season. Literally, and for the love of God, don’t get in the way of their healthy enjoyment. If nothing else, before ruining someone’s cherished holiday tradition stop to think about how you would feel when someone messes up your favorite once-a-year tradition. It puts thing into perspective, doesn’t it?

What is the Purpose Behind this Christmas Tree Blog Post?

This might seem like a petty complaint blog but really, it’s not as selfish as it seems. It’s really about more than just a Christmas tree. As a matter of fact, it’s about you, me and the rest of the world. For example, have you ever wondered why a lot of the focus of Christmas has become materialistic? Maybe it’s because the material things that we receive may not be our favorite things, or even the best parts about Christmas, but at least brand-new material things don’t discourage you the way that someone not caring about or respecting what you treasure does.

It all comes down to this:

When you don’t hold whatever someone else deems sacred, sacred, you are violating the right of someone’s happiness.”

So while you don’t have to loooovvvvee anyone’s Christmas traditions or beliefs just because they love it, you should love them enough to know how to respect what they consider sacred so that you don’t mess it up for them. This especially applies if you throw a tantrum every year when someone you supposedly love is abouttttt to engage in their favorite holiday tradition. If you really love someone, the least that you can do, is allow them the opportunity and the environment to enjoy the non-harmful activity that they enjoy, especially if it only comes around once a year and is linked to one of the most beloved holidays worldwide. Giving this type of love is the greatest gift I could receive this Christmas and the one I wish for you. Love is much more than what you receive, it’s the freedom of being who you are. And who are we? Ironically enough, in many ways, we are our traditions. And our traditions, are the legacy that our children will be left with. Do you really want your children to remember participating in a tradition that seemed special, but was forever tainted with someone’s lack of consideration for the family, those people who supposedly make every holiday worth it and meaningful?

It’s Time for Some Tough Love

• Do you have a tendency to squash the joy out of a holiday tradition?
• Who’s joy do you sabotage? Why?
• What can you do about it?

Be the bigger person who recognizes his/her transgressions and share as much as or as little as you can with us. After all, we all learn from each others’ mistakes and are inspired by each others’ aha moments.

In the meantime may you AND your FAMILY have a very MERRY, jolly Christmas celebrated around a beautiful Christmas tree that reflects through its twinkling lights and shining ornaments, the love all around it. Remember, the tree provides the magic, you provide the love.