Ten years ago, Christmas was a whole different experience than it is to me now. Christmas was more than a holiday to me. It was a time of making snowmen and drinking gallons of hot chocolate. The first sight of snow was a gift from the gods. I prepared for Christmas as soon as October 31st. As a little kid, I enjoyed making my family homemade presents like cards and model magic sculptures. On Christmas Eve, I would stay up all night waiting for the sound of reindeer feet on my roof.

Now, Christmas is more of a hassle than a holiday. Snow does not mean snowmen and snow angels, but endless hours of shoveling. Christmas seems to sneak up on me now. One minute it’s Halloween and the next its Christmas. This, of course means I procrastinate gift buying and decorating. And on Christmas Eve, I care more about catching some sleep than catching Santa in the act. I have much lower expectations for Christmas than when I was little. Christmas used to be an exciting time of the year for me, but recently, it has been more difficult than enjoyable.

One of the first signs of Christmas for me was the first snowfall of the year. Seeing the first few snowflakes float down from the sky brought tears to my eyes. I would pray every night for a snow day so that instead of going to school, I could spend all day playing in the snow. Snow to me meant snow forts, snowball fights, snow men and snow angels. I was never made to shovel the driveway or sidewalks...that was my dad’s job. And after playing in the snow for about six hours, I could always expect a steaming mug of hot chocolate waiting for me inside - with marshmallows of course. Now, I hate snow days. I can’t bear to miss a day of school just to have to make it up in June when the weather is beautiful. Snow means that I have to wake up early to go dig my car out. I hate driving in snow. Everyone drives 50% slower and I end up being late to wherever I’m trying to go. Gone are the days where I could spend snow days happily building snowmen. Now, snowdays mean an extra day of school in the summer, shoveling snow, and dangerous driving.

Ten years ago, I anticipated Christmas for almost two months. I would start cutting out paper snowflakes and making tree ornaments on November 1st. One of my favorite things to do when I was younger was to make homemade gifts for my family and friends. Often, these were model magic sculptures, treats from my easy bake oven or finger paintings. I could spend hours making presents for the people I loved. Now, I can’t get away with homemade gifts. I am expected to buy my family and friends nice expensive gifts from the department store. I spend the majority of a three month paycheck on Christmas gifts. Also, I often procrastinate or forget to buy presents. Sometimes, I even wait until Christmas Eve to buy some people presents. My schedule and life is so much more busy than it was ten years ago, and I no longer have hours to spend on making thoughtful gifts for the people I love. Spending my own money and being held to a higher expectation of gift giving is makes Christmas a hassle these days.

Christmas Eve is probably one of the biggest differences in between my experience of Christmas as a child and my experience now. When I was a kid, my family would spend Christmas Eve laying out carrots and water outside for Santa’s reindeer, tracking Santa on the computer and setting out a variety of cookies and a glass of milk for Santa. I would also write Santa letters and leave them in my stocking for him. And once my parents tucked me into bed, I would keep my eyes wide open all night long, listening for Santa’s sleigh bells or the pitter patter of reindeer hooves on my roof. When morning finally came, I would not have gotten a wink of sleep. I would wake my parents up at 6:00 sharp and race my brothers downstairs to see what Santa brought us. Now, I just go along with putting cookies out for Santa for my parent’s sake. I sleep the entire night and don’t wake up a minute before 10:00. I mean, the presents will still be there if I sleep a little longer. I guess now I value my sleep over seeing my presents.

When I was little, Christmas was the best day of the year. The snowfall, the anticipation, gift giving and Christmas Eve were all things that I loved and enjoyed. Now, this holiday is more hassle than fun. Now that I have responsibilities like shoveling snow and buying people presents, the lead up to Christmas just isn’t as fun. And when Christmas Eve rolls around, my sleep is more valuable than staying up all night to see my presents that will still be there if I sleep in.