The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

All four seasons hold a special place in my heart, both for nostalgic and natural reasons. But if I were to pick one time of the year in which I feel most content, it would be in these next couple of months; in the winter, before the cold turns from a refreshing escape to a deathless night eternal, and before the hardy winds of January become the biting gales of February and March. Not to mention the numerous causes for celebration that exist during these couple of months, and even if you do not celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, the joy in the air is infectious.

I often dream of living in a place in which Christmas is at its most visually appealing; where it is grand in the air of the night, yet quaint in decor and commercialism. Of course, it's hard to escape the plethora of commercialism these days, but not impossible. In my dreams I see a small village in the north, where the snow falls in large, sluggish flakes and sticks softly on all that it touches. The streets house very few vehicles, but the sidewalks are packed. Downtown I see incandescent street lights casting their fiery yellowish glow in small circles, and I see the shops with large glass fronts and similar incandescent string lights which enhance that warm yellow light which pools upon the street in front of them. Inside can be seen toys which children ogle at until their parents pull them away, mentally noting their location so they may return for present shopping later. And in some of the shops there are sweets being made fresh, as in Werther's commercials, and their scent wafts out of the door when it opens, almost forcing one to venture inside. I also see the wreaths of Holly on the doors of these small shops, and around me people meeting on the street, embracing each other and giving in to love. During the day, the gray sky feels not like the coffin which it will become in a few months, but more like a soft blanket which highlights the brilliant white of the snow, and allows the contrasting deep green leaves and red berries of the Holly bushes to shine as the only bits of color in a world otherwise ruled by grayscale.

So as you can tell, this time of year is very visually stimulating for me. But the memories I made as a child are of equal importance with regards to my love of the season. In my house we celebrate Christmas out of solidarity rather than faith, but still I remember the joy of decorating the tree, and the anticipation of those neatly wrapped gifts under it. Christmas in my house was unique, and while I won't speak too much of it, it is a large part of the nostalgia that I feel towards the holidays.

I also want to talk about Christmas music, which is perhaps the most divisive part of this time of year. There are some who hate Christmas music with a passion, and they would sooner see burning of "Last Christmas" and "All I want for Christmas Is You" than they would listen to it on the radio. But I tend to fall on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. I absolutely love Christmas music, both classic, such as Burl Ives' "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" and Dean Martin's "Baby It's Cold Outside", and modern, such as Michael Buble's "Holly Jolly Christmas" and the aforementioned pop hits by Mariah Carey and Wham!. To me, Christmas music is a representation of all that is good in the world. While most modern music reflects on the more physical aspects of human society, both in love and hate, Christmas music tends to portray the deeper seed of love and humanity, from the generosity of philanthropy, to the visual nature of the world which I attempted to describe earlier, to the charming way in which love works at its simplest. There is little grandiosity, little theatrics, and almost no falsehoods to be found in Christmas music. Just joy and good will, and that's not even including some of the other Christian songs like "Little Drummer Boy" and "Mary Did You Know", which draw their beauty in the purity of their lyrics and the resonance they share with the other music.

No other season do I hold in the same regard as the winter near the holidays. The softness of the snow on the trees, which themselves have their skeletal elegance shine during this time, gives the landscape a cleansed appearance, and it reminds me that there is always a chance for a fresh start. The love and joy in the air is palpable, and there is no other time of the year in which it feels as good to sit in a heated house, reading a book with a warm mug of Hot Chocolate, watching the flakes fly outside. And while these next couple of weeks before finals is the most stressful time of the year, there's no doubt in my mind that it is also The Most Wonderful Time of The Year.