Waking up at 6:00 in the morning and rushing downstairs to open gifts. Trying to stay up late to catch Santa even though you end up falling asleep at 10. Driving around to look at Christmas lights. Drinking hot chocolate and decorating sugar cookies.

Now you wake up at 10:00 in the morning, take your time getting ready, and then go out to the living room. You decorate your room to try to compensate for the lack of Christmas spirit that you feel. You watch Christmas movies, but they don’t have the same magic they did when you were a kid. 

All you want is to just go back to when you had Christmas parties in elementary school, and you believed in Santa and Christmas was something to look forward to. 

Don’t get me wrong, I still like Christmas, but as I’ve gotten older it’s just become less and less exciting and more and more overwhelming. Buying Christmas presents for everyone is stressful. Even if you like your family, it can still be draining spending time with them for two weeks straight. Seasonal depression takes over. Ijust end up feeling exhausted instead of joyful.

I still try to decorate my room, listen to Christmas music, drink hot chocolate, look at Christmas lights, and watch Christmas movies to try to make the best out of Christmas. I’m not trying to be all bah-humbug and hate on Christmas. I know plenty of people who love Christmas and I also still love Christmas even if it doesn’t feel the same. I just don’t think that the Christmas season is always as romanticized as people make it seem.