The Post-Christmas Gift Blues

I'll admit, I’m a major culprit of this, but I promise next year I’m going to change – at least that’s what we all say.

When I was between the ages of, say, 5-13, every Christmas gift under the tree was a surprise. We made big lists in our household and my parents would pick which ones they were going to get us. As we’ve all gotten much older, now we get a spending cap and half the time we buy our own gifts and then get the money back for them, and it’s just not the same! 

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve certainly realized the value of money in terms of spending it carefully, so when it comes to the holidays, I just want what I want so that I get the most for my dollar. But it just cannot even compete with the total surprise of Christmas when you're younger, shaking boxes under the tree, measuring sizes, and even maybe tearing a corner on Christmas Eve when no one’s looking.

Talking to a lot of my friends, almost all of them know what is under the tree as we get older (I say this as a freshly-turned 22-year-OLD MAN). I’m not going to do it anymore. It just doesn’t quite feel like Christmas when you know exactly what’s under there, and my parents will even throw an extra surprise or two in there, but it just can’t compare. 

Am I chasing nostalgia? Probably, but next Christmas will be much more exciting, mark my words.