Every year, the Christmas season seems to start earlier than the last. This year, we skipped from Halloween to Christmas before I could even eat all of my candy and pack away my costume. The stores in the malls have already started to decorate and plan for the holiday sales, and the usual annoying Christmas tunes have started to play over the intercom system.
Last weekend, I heard my least favorite Christmas shopping song, "Merry Christmas, Darling," by The Carpenters. Hearing this song reminded me of the time I spent in retail over one of our gracious winter breaks. I must have heard it over 100 times.
I quickly remembered how I despised the vicious shoppers trying to get the best deals and the disgruntled husbands looking for a last-minute gift for their wives at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve when we were about to close.
At the same time, I could not avoid thinking about everything else the season brings. There are the religious beliefs of course, but Christmas has also shifted into a socially accepted holiday with its own traditions not affiliated with any religious denomination.
As kids we were so focused on Christmas and getting the hottest new toy for our collection. Remember Furby, Beanie Babies and Tickle-Me-Elmo? I remember always asking for the newest board games...Backoff Buzzard was my favorite until I unfortunately broke it a few years later.
The question, "What do you want for Christmas?" will be asked numerous times over the next few weeks, and when we were kids it was so easy to decide what you would ask for. All you had to do was sit on Santa's lap and hope that you could find it under the tree on Christmas morning.
As we grow older, I think it is harder to ask for something material like a new television (which is what I am hoping for) and we begin to establish our own "reason for the season." This year I know my reason for the season, and it is not just a new television, but family traditions.
One of my family's favorite traditions is to drive around Sandusky looking at the Christmas lights and decorations on Christmas Eve. We always get bundled up in our pajamas, sometimes falling asleep in the car along the way, and have specific destinations on the route that we never miss. But by the time we get home, of course we cannot fall asleep because of the anticipation for the next morning.
Christmas morning is a science in my family because with four kids you have to stay organized. We line-up on the stairwell wearing our festive hats and Mom takes our picture every step of the way into the living room. I love to look back at old videos and pictures of these moments and see how our family has grown over time.
We separate our presents into piles and take turns opening them on camera, usually five at a time in a rotation. You can't forget to check all of the wrapping paper before throwing it away, either.
Now who could forget the embarrassing stories, too? At the first snow fall of the season my Mother always reminds me how I described snow at a young age. "Mommy, look at all the fludderbies." I guess I thought the snowflakes looked like thousands of butterflies falling from the sky.
One of the classic tales of a Widman family Christmas is when I was so excited for my sister to open my gift that I told her "Sarah, open the microphone first!" Oops. Then there is the time when I sat in the corner eating the chocolate from my stocking when everyone else was looking at their new toys. I can still hear my father's voice in the background of the video today, "Jacob...what are you doing?" zooming in on my face smeared of chocolate.
I can complain all I want about the premature shift into the Christmas season before the turkey has even been cooked, but I cannot deny the excitement that arrived when I saw a Christmas tree in the mall and the "Fludderbies" of snow fall this week. As I anticipate the exciting weeks ahead of us, I cannot wait for the traditions to begin again. t&c;
Jake Widman is a senior Theatre and Public Relations major and columnist for the t&c;
