Christmas comes but once a year, and when it does we're either ready for it, or we're not. Over the years, the meaning of the holiday has evolved for many people, but one thing that has not changed is the excitement that builds up to, and the joy that is experienced on, Christmas Day as a result of the atmosphere that has been created. Christmas spirit can be shown in a variety of ways, and, in the spirit of the holiday, below is a look at some of the ways in which people have chosen to deliver holiday cheer to others over the years.
"Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree"
Decorating the Christmas tree is one of the most important parts of the holiday season for many people. Considering how important the first holiday season, that one spends with a new partner, can be for setting the tone for the remainder of their relationship, it's important, much like all other aspects of a relationship, to compromise whenever possible. Instead of arguing about who gets to place which ornament on the tree, why not go halfsies?
It might not be the most traditional-looking tree that one has seen, but tradition is what we make of it. If that's what the tree looks like, one can only imagine how amazing the outside of the house looks.
"Someone Is Missing At Christmas"
What it means to decorate a Christmas tree to perfection these days is quite different than what it used to be. In the olden days, people would decorate a real tree with tinsel, ornaments, and, of course, lights. Then, to cap it off, the tree would be topped with a beautiful holiday-themed tree-topper. People still use symbolic holiday-themed toppers these days, but the symbols have changed a little.
For some people, after 30 years of celebrating the holidays with him, John McClane has become a symbol of the holiday. This tree-topper is for all the people who classify "Die Hard" as a Christmas film.
"Step Into Christmas"
Around the holidays, some people go crazy trying to make their homes look seasonally appropriate. While some people go completely over the top and cover their houses in lights from base to roof, others opt for the simpler approach. Sure, their Christmas spirit might still be able to be seen from the street, but it's not quite as "in your face" as some others.
Many people neglect their front door and porch area, however, a little bit of door dressing helps to accentuate the central ornaments by bringing focus to the wreath and ribbon.
"What Can You Get A Wookiee For Christmas (When He's Already Owns A Comb? )"
There are some things about Christmas that remain constant, no matter how many decades have passed. People still decorate Christmas trees, they still sit down to a holiday meal with their loved ones, and some people even still go caroling. The tradition that many people look forward to more than others, however, is the much-awaited opening of gifts.
Not even the toys have changed over the years as more than 4-decades later, children and adults alike still await the release of the latest Star Wars memorabilia and look forward to unwrapping them on Christmas morning.
"It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas"
Decorating one's house for Christmas is a lengthy process. In fact, for some people, it's a process that begins the moment that the previous Christmas holiday has ended. The way in which one packs their ornaments directly affects the frustrations that they either will or won't experience the following year. Clearly, the more organized someone is when undecorating the house one year, the easier it, theoretically, should be for them to re-decorate the following year.
One bulb and one ornament at a time. At the start, decorating the entire house might seem like an impossible task, however, the smiles on everyone's faces make it all worth it in the end.
"Hard Candy Christmas"
There are many things that people get excited about when it comes to Christmas. Of course, everyone loves the gift exchange aspect of the holiday, and who doesn't love putting up the Christmas tree and its decorations? The songs are great, and the family's traditional holiday dinner is always something to write home about, but the highlight of the season is always the annual house-building contest.
A gingerbread house-building contest that is. The Christmas season doesn't seem complete unless there has been an anonymous vote for which house is best, quickly followed by the destruction and consumption of the houses.
"Old Toy Trains"
It seems absurd now, but to keep themselves entertained, kids used to spend a lot of their time either outside, or building train sets. That's right, by the late 1940s, every kid in town wanted an electric train set for Christmas. It was a fad that last for a few decades, but will always be remembered as one of the first Christmas present fads.
Every year, there is the new "train set" Christmas gift that children all over the world are hoping to get, and, growing up, everyone knew, at least, one person who would get it.
"How Lovely Is Christmas"
One Christmas tradition that has not quite made it as mainstream as some of the others is building miniature recreations of Christmas villages from around the world. Building one of these takes a lot of time, precision, and patience. If decorating the house for the holidays seems like it might be overwhelming, imagine building a new village every year.
Clearing out the furniture and building a miniature version of a Christmas village in the living room is a great way to bring the family together for a fun project, as long as the family cat isn't able to gain access to the room, of course.
"Silent Night"
Over the course of the year, there is an endless cycle of holidays, and decorating for the aforementioned holidays. In order to save on time, and money, many people have turned to recycling their decorations year after year instead of buying new ones. Some people have given up on taking down their decorations altogether and instead have found a way to adapt them for the next holiday.
While complimenting this person's creativity, most people have forgotten to ask the question that needs to be asked..."Why is Santa buried in their yard?"
"All I Want For Christmas"
Going back just 30 or 40 years, it was much easier finding a Christmas gift to buy for one's children. This would have been a time before the video game revolution. It was a time of board games, action figures, and model planes. Parents didn't need to concern themselves with smartphones, gaming consoles, or new laptops, because they didn't exist yet. It was a simpler time.
Believe it or not, there was actually a time when a child would have been over the moon to have received a new fishing rod or baseball mitt for Christmas.
"Barefoot Santa Claus"
What makes a good Christmas movie? Is it the message the film has? Does it need to have Santa Claus in it? Or does the film just need to come out around Christmas time and have some holiday-related themes? There's one film, in particular, that has been at the center of many Christmas movie arguments, and recently, the film's leading man himself weighed in on the issue.
Regardless of Bruce Willis' claim that "Die Hard" is simply a Bruce Willis film, every year fans of the film continue to watch, and cheer, as John McClane saves Christmas.
"Every Year, Every Christmas"
As far as holiday traditions are concerned, decorating one's house with lights for Christmas is a fairly new concept, in fact, on a widescale level it only dates as far back as the 1960s. Over the past 60 years, however, the evolution of Christmas light decorations has, most certainly, gone above and beyond what anyone had thought possible back in the '60s.
People have done some amazing things with their lights over the years, with some going as far as creating a light show that has been synchronized to music.
"The First Noel"
Depending on the pet that's involved, if not handled correctly, keeping one's furry companion away from the Christmas tree can turn into quite an adventure. Anyone who has had a furry companion knows that most cats and dogs just want to be loved and feel included. If that doesn't work, a good distraction should do. Thankfully, there are now ways to keep one's pet involved in the spirit of the holiday while keeping them away from destroying the house.
That is one proud cat. It knows that's not the real tree, but like everything else in the house, this tree belongs to it.
"Santa Clause Is Coming To Town"
By the end of November every year, just after the Thanksgiving decorations have been taken down, retailers and hospitality workers usually begin the lengthy process of decorating for the Christmas holidays. While some businesses deck their halls full of the spirit of the holidays, others try not to break with the general decor of their establishments. That's not to say that they don't decorate at all, they're just on the side that believes less is more...
As an art installation this piece makes quite the statement, however, as far as having Christmas spirit goes, whoever decorated this sushi restaurant is definitely lacking.
"Underneath The Christmas Tree"
The creativity of holiday lovers has never ceased to amaze those who are unable to see past the frustrations of working during the holiday season, however, when there is no other option, why not make the best of it? Decorating one's workplace is an excellent way to spread holiday cheer, while at the same time, distracting one's self from the daily grind.
In the spirit of saving money on a tree, and saving time on going to get one, the staff at this nurse's station used their Christmas intuition and made use of the supplies they had by thinking outside the box.
"At This Table"
There has been an infinite number of ways in which people have decided to decorate their homes over the years. More recently, holiday decorations have not just been about the holiday but adding a bit of one's own personality into how they decorate. Many people have attempted holiday-themed throwbacks to classic video games or television shows, but not many have been able to pull it off this well.
Much like Mario and Luigi, the last few decades have been rather Christmasless for poor Kirby, who has been busy defending the Dream Land from King Dedede and his lot.
"Jingle Bell Rock"
Christmas time is family time, or, at least, it used to be. In "the old days", Christmas Day activities were a little bit different than they are today. People would spend the day, and most of the night, with their families catching up over the events of the previous year while eating grandma's cookies and joining together to perform old Christmas classics.
A few decades ago, it would not have been uncommon to have a mini-Christmas concert performed by members of the family in one's own living room. These days, most families rely on Spotify and a surround sound speaker system for their holiday cheer.
"It Must Have Been The Mistletoe"
When living with friends or siblings, if one of them offers to decorate the whole house for the holidays while everyone is out there's probably some sort of catch, more often than not, there's probably a plan in the works. After arriving home one evening, one sister was thrilled to see that the other had taken the initiative to get most of the decorations set up, and then she got to her bedroom...
The interior designer claims it was just a coincidence, but anyone who has lived with a sibling, or close friend, knows the truth behind this one.
"Nuttin' For Christmas"
Over the past few years, it has become much more common for people to decorate their homes using props and decorations from some of their favourite television programs or films. While some props are easily recognizable, sometimes, it's best not to ask questions about the ones that aren't. Let's just say, as adorable as they might be, it's imperative to remember that not all adorable Christmas critters are as wholesome as they would have us believe.
Let's just say, that it's better to keep one's distance when it comes to adorable Christmas woodland critters. For further inquiries, please see South Park season 8 episode 14.
"Christmas Time Is Here"
Anyone can decorate the outside of their house for the holidays. All it takes is slapping a few lights on the roof and the tree in the front yard, and voila, the outside of the house is ready. Considering that we spend most of our time inside of our houses, however, instead of looking at the outside, shouldn't we be focusing our decorating energy on what we see and not on what we don't see?
When there are Christmas decorations visible, everyday life just seems so much more festive and joyous. Interior decorations really give the house that "Christmas movie" vibe.
"Let's Light The Christmas Tree"
A lot of people think that the tree that one chooses for Christmas is of the utmost importance, and anything less than the perfect tree won't do. Unfortunately, they would be mistaken. One can go with a real tree, a plastic tree, a metal tree, or even a tree made out of surgical gloves, it doesn't matter. What matters is how one chooses to decorate the tree.
What else is there to do when the tree is one ornament short of completion? Let's just hope that no one asks for some extra butter with dinner...
"Cold December Night"
The Christmas season isn't just an exciting time for people. Whether they know it or not, family pets are just as involved in the holiday festivities as their people are. They get to see people that they only see once a year, and, usually, they get fed very well throughout the festive season. Similar to their people, pets also need something to keep them warm in the frigid winter weather.
One other thing that pets have in common with their people is that they also get ugly Christmas sweaters every year, and, even though they know they look ridiculous, they wear them anyway.
"Do They Know It's Christmas? "
Most people, probably, haven't given a second thought to the fact that Mario, Luigi, and the gang once had time to celebrate Christmas just the same as everyone else. However, for more than 30 years, Mario has been attempting to rescue, then re-rescue, Princess Peach from a, seemingly, endless amount of villains and rubes, and he has been thus unable to celebrate with the traditions of old.
The time will come when Mario is able to, finally, retire from plumbing and adventuring, and when that time comes, traditions of old and new will come together to level up.
"Oh, Santa! "
We can't go through a list of ways in which people have celebrated the holidays over the years without touching briefly on the destruction that is left after the kids have opened all of their gifts. Some parents like to come up with games for their kids to play in order to get them to help with the clean-up, while others don't let their children play with their new toys until everything has been cleaned.
Regardless of which method is used, the mess is inevitable, and most parents end up cleaning it up themselves. But, hey, that's what Christmas is all about.
"It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year"
One's house is not officially decorated for the holidays until every room, especially the kitchen, have had their halls decked with boughs of holly. What does that mean? I've not a clue, but I do know that when a kitchen has been decorated for the holidays, it makes baking holiday treats in it that much more festive. It doesn't take much, just a little bit of tinsel here and a wreath over there...
There's no need to overdo the kitchen's decorations. The smell of the cookies and cakes that are soon to be baked in the room should take care of most of the ambiance.
"Christmas Where You Are"
Getting the house ready for Christmas means different things for different people. Some people feel as though Christmas is a time to stick with tradition because there's no reason to mess with something that has been working just fine for so many years. There will always be some people, however, who decide that the best way to celebrate a holiday, is to do it their own way.
There is no reason to Rickety-Wreck Christmas by arguing about who used the portal gun without permission. Look at the plus side, it's easier to put the star on top of the tree.
"It Wasn't His Child"
When "Star Wars" was first released, children were lining up to watch the films in the cinema and begging their parents for the latest "Star Wars" toys for Christmas. As the years passed by, those kids became adults, but still, Christmas was based around the latest "Star Wars" memorabilia. Some things never change...
Star Wars toys have remained at the top of young people's Christmas lists for more than 4 decades, and, thanks to new creations like baby Yoda, that popularity doesn't seem like it will be waning anytime soon.
"Warm And Fuzzy"
In most countries in the northern hemisphere, when one thinks of Christmas time, they think of snow and cold weather, which is probably a result of all the snow and cold weather. With the sub-zero temperatures, however, comes the need for warm clothing, hot chocolate, and, of course, comfy pillows. It just so happens, that someone, somewhere down the line also thought of these needs.
Let's face it, after coming in from a cold winter's day, wearing holiday PJs, and snuggling up with fluffy Christmas pillows is not the worst thing that one could do. Actually, it sounds quite pleasant.
"Boogie Woogie Santa Claus"
The clothing that one's family wears is part of what completes the year's Christmas decorations. Christmas onesies and elf outfits are adorable when fitted for pets, but, when there is a small child or baby in the family the cuteness level of the ensemble gets taken to new heights. There are only a few years when children are young enough to dress up in adorable outfits, and those years must be taken advantage of.
As frustrating as it might be to wear matching holiday clothing, year after year, for the family Christmas photos, but it's going to happen, so deal with it.
"The Secret Of Christmas"
Holiday traditions are like personalities, no matter how dull they are, everyone's got one, and they're all unique in their own ways. Some traditions might be as simple as wearing the same shirt every year for the holidays or singing songs with family members that haven't been sung since the previous holiday season. All the traditions, no matter how big or small, mean something to those who partake in them.
These people saved a bit of the first tree they celebrated together with, and continue to decorate it every year for the holidays. The tree doesn't look so sad now, does it?
"Elf's Lament"
When decorating for the Christmas holidays, it's better to be safe and decorate for all occasions, rather than to under decorate or, even worse, miss the tone of the room altogether and decorate inappropriately. There are a few staples when it comes to entertaining young people, or those who are young at heart. A real Christmas tree should have real candy cane ornaments, and it's never a bad time to make someone smile.
It was always fascinating how Santa Claus was able to squeeze himself into all of those chimneys but the elves, now those poor little fellows always seem to be getting themselves stuck.
"Santa Claus Lane"
While working in an office one sees a variety of characters on a daily basis. During the holiday season, no matter how in-your-face or tame they might be, people's characters are on full display. For every holiday nut that an office has there has historically been an office scrooge to match. Recently, however, people have begun to take a more passive approach to their holiday office etiquette.
Knowing that there was no way that they could outdo their desk neighbor's effort, this office worker found a way to end up with the same result by doing non of the work.
"Deck The Halls"
When working in the retail world the days of the week or month don't really have much meaning. Instead, retailers depend on their store's holiday decorations in order to know what time of year it is. From Valentine's Day, the retail calendar goes into St. Paddy's Day, then Easter, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and, finally, Christmas. While most holiday decorations warrant one or two displays, Christmas, usually, takes over the whole store.
During the Christmas season, whatever someone is looking for, as long as it's Christmas-themed, they will probably find it. Businesses have gone to great lengths to ensure that everything has a Christmas edition these days.
"The Greatest Gift Of All"
The animals that we decide to adopt become a part of our families from the moment we decide to take them into our homes, and as a result of that, when the holiday season rolls around, we tend to go a little overboard when shopping for pet gifts. But, is really possible to go overboard when buying gifts for the little creatures that are always bringing us so much joy?
Considering all of the other ridiculous things we buy for our pets, why not treat them to a solar-powered insulated house for the holidays?
"The Night Was Anything But Silent"
Enjoying the holiday season doesn't just come down to the gifts that one receives. The true spirit of the holiday is being able to put smiles on the faces of those around us. If that means altering the Christmas tree or decorations in some way, as long as it doesn't ruin the holidays, why not give it a go? With our next entry in the Christmas tree pageant, coming all the way from Sesame Street, let's put our hands together for OSCAR THE GROUCH!!
If the biggest grouch on Sesame Street is able to turn his frown upside down for the holidays, then anyone can. I hope this list helped a little. Happy Holidays From Us To You!!