
The International Writers Magazine: Christmas 2019 - A forgotten
holiday
I remember
Christmas
Jenny Atkins
Christmas
used to be an over-commercialised holiday and a time for family,
but change is inevitable, and now I would give anything to return
to a time when it really meant something.
|
A Holy Couple
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Gone are the days when families gathered to open their gifts together
and enjoy a festive feast of Roast Turkey with all the trimmings. Now,
nobody sends Christmas cards, chocolate coins, or candy canes to their
loved ones. Those traditions can only be seen in the movies, on a web
page somewhere that somebody forgot to delete, or, most commonly, chronicled
in a piece of writing much like this one.
The year is 2019, and Christmas is just three weeks away. Fifteen years
ago it was my favourite time of year, and on this day I would have been
preparing to get underway with irritating everyone with my festive cheer,
so much so that they would actually want to cancel Christmas. Even then,
the 25th of December had lost most of its religious connotations, and
was just an excuse to exchange gifts and have a few days off work, but
there were still a few traditionalists and hopeless romantics who adored
the celebrations.
I was one of the people always invoked by the spirit of Christmas; there
was not an ounce of Scrooge in me, and I was proud of it. An advent
calendar was always top of my shopping list the week before the 1st
of December. Selecting and decorating a Christmas tree (usually the
short, fat one that nobody else would want) was my favourite activity.
Christmas tunes would replace the angst-ridden rock music that usually
blared out of my stereo as soon as I could do it without making other
people physically sick. Wrapping gifts took up the time I usually spent
sitting in front of the TV.
Three weeks from now, Ill be the only person I know who will even
realise that Christmas day has arrived. The birthday of Jesus has become
much like the birthdays of you and I; the more the years go by, the
more it goes unnoticed. Nativity plays used to educate children in how
this day, filled with gifts and games originated, now they are a thing
of the past. Ask the average child who Mary and Joseph are, and theyll
probably refer you to some of their school friends. Whistle the tune
of a carol to children and youll get no response; theyd
be more likely to know all the words to the National Anthem.
This December 25th Ill be going to work, as per usual. There will
be a two-minute silence at midday, but most people presume its
so they can send a sneaky text-message to their latest conquest. Im
not sure I believe in the biblical story of Christmas, but I know I
will spend those moments thinking about how much everyone in my life
means to me. Thats what Christmas was and is about for me; love.
If you dont let people know you care about them, or take a romantic
leap of faith from time to time, then what is the point in calling yourself
human? Humans live, breathe, and experience life, in a world that early
man couldnt even have imagined, and Christmas used to be a time
for people to remember that. I just hope those feelings dont cease
to exist as well as Christmas Day, and this year, my Christmas wish
is that these thoughts of mine are shared with world, and everyone recalls
the true meaning of Christmas, at least for a two minutes.
© Jenny Atkins December 204
Jenny Atkins is a Creative Arts student at Portsmouth University
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