the christmas spirit

as the christmas spirit rolls around, the news gears up for its coverage of the holiday season. all over the world, people line up (and even shoot each other) over playstation threes. on black friday, or better yet one minute after midnight, people tumbled over each other in the malls to get their hands on the latest christmas gadgets and gifts.

while i happened to be at concord mills at the precise minute it opened with my boyfriend and my sister, unlike majority of the shoppers, i left my pajamas tucked away in my drawers and kept my conscious intact. as lines wrapped around banana and people sat up chairs in front of circuit city, i thought one thing, "how on earth is this the christmas spirit?"

right before the holiday season officially kicked off, the major retail stores debated over their choice of holiday phrase for the year. some returned to the ever-so-bold phrase of "merry christmas" while others chose to engulf every age, gender and nationality with "happy holidays." personally, my thoughts on this are simple: its christmas in every language... lets just enjoy it in every way.

whether you say feliz navidad, merry christmas or joyeux noel the fact of the matter is its a holiday. you might celebrate other holidays or none at all, but whats the point of taking away the joy of the holiday for the ones who do like it?

the other day, i was in walmart checking out with my boyfriend after buying some completely random items. as i was leaving, i grabbed my bags and simply said "merry christmas." the elderly lady at the checkout looked quite shocked at my bold statement (though may i point out walmart selected merry christmas as its phrase to bring in the big bucks this year), then smiled and said it back very faintly as if she didnt want anyone to know.

personally, i find it all quite sad.

as we put up decorations, push and shove over the technologies and bake cookies, i think all too often we forget the joy of sharing christmas spirit. as i made lunch today for everyone, i turned on the radio to listen to some christmas carols. immediately after recognizing the song, with a smile on my face i started dancing around the kitchen singing "santa claus is coming to town."

carter, the two-year-old immediately began clapping his hands and spinning around ... trying his best to keep up with me. and little sweet jack, coming to life every day, looked up from his crawl and started to rock back in forth.

it wasnt much -- but the point got across. in everyday things during the holiday season, we can show christmas spirit. sure the gifts are nice -- but even more so important than the toy that will soon become a coaster, why not truly enjoy the spirit of christmas this year?

spend it with your family.
decorate the tree.
bake cookies.
listen to christmas carols and dance like a child.

but above all, spread love.

so whether you choose a phrase or become a scrooge -- just know that should you cross me within the next month -- ill be the one saying "merry christmas" all the while dancing to the carols playing in my head.