When we were younger, the month of December was filled with Christmas cheer throughout the season. Now, December comes with a magnitude of homework, tests, and finals looming on the horizon. The holidays are not the same as when we were kids, the magic has diminished greatly and so we ask the question: Why did we lose our Christmas spirit?

As kids, the most exciting days were those leading up to Christmas. We watched movies, made Christmas ornaments in school, and had Christmas concerts celebrating the birth of Jesus. Everyone made the experience magical for us, especially our parents. They painted a picture of a guy in a red suit who would come down our chimney on the 25th of December and give us gifts under our Christmas tree. They took us to the “North Pole” to go visit Santa and see how the elves are doing. Every night they would move the Elf on the Shelf and tell us to be good or else the elf would tell Santa.

Getting a tree with the family, decorating the house, making cookies, putting out cookies and milk for Santa, and even leaving food for Santa’s reindeer made the magic of Christmas real when we were little. Hoping to hear footsteps on the roof above, we would not sleep a wink on Christmas Eve. Once morning came, we woke up our parents at 5 A.M. to tell them that Santa had come and we got exactly what we wanted. Now, Christmas has changed and has seemingly lost its magic.

We no longer get jittery about toys, the fascination with Santa no longer exists, and the whole Christmas season has a completely different vibe than when we were young. We send texts of what we want for Christmas instead of writing letters. The excitement of getting and giving gifts has dwindled. On Christmas morning, we would rush to the tree, just looking to see what Santa left for us. Now, gifts are more expected and have lost the element of surprise. In school, we are focused on final projects and tests rather than doing crafts and watching Christmas movies. It’s almost as if the Grinch stole Christmas from us, and all we have left is stress.

The heart of these changes is one miserable realization: we are growing up, and we haven’t realized it. Christmas will never be the same as when we were younger. We haven’t lost the meaning of Christmas, we’ve just lost the elements that made it special to us. With all the holiday hassle and school stress that comes with December, it’s important to remember that we can find the real meaning of Christmas through our family, friends, and giving back to the community we have.