Holidays are getting closer and closer and we all get excited about this time of the year; it’s the period when we get to spend more time with our families, when we give and receive a lot of gifts, when we are taking a break from whatever is going on in our lives, and just choose to live the moment.
However, I know each one of us was asked (not once) in our lifetime “Tell me, what do you want for Christmas?”. And this leads me to the point of the article.
When we are kids, we have the longest list of presents, having written down every single thing we once wanted and asked our parents to buy it for us but they told us “you know, that would make a great Christmas present!”; we want to get the most beautiful toy ever, so we can show it off to our friends and be able to say that we received the best gift. We want to always have the latest technology so we can keep up with the times. As kids, I can say that we never thought about the deeper meaning of the presents, and we just wanted things that could keep us busy and satisfied for a few weeks, in the best-case scenario.
Truth be told, you can never get a child's attention for a long time; they usually forget about the Christmas gift as soon as they get another present.
As we grow older, we realize that most of the time, our “ideal” gift cannot be bought with money. Sure thing, sometimes we want a new phone or a bracelet, but we do crave more than that. I am not saying those “physical” gifts are not satisfying us anymore, but it’s not enough. If someone asked me right now what I wanted for Christmas I would say that I need more time. I know this is such a cliché, but it’s the truth; I need more time before I grow up and have the world “on my shoulders”; I want more time with my family and friends before the things I once considered normal, would be taken away from me and I have to get used to a “new” normal. I want to make up for the lost time and just for this once, I want to be able to stop the ticking clock. Besides time, I want to know that everyone is healthy and they all have a tomorrow. If I could have one wish, I think I would spend it on health. It’s just so draining living with a chronic illness and no one gives it importance, everyone thinks it’s so easy and you can still live your normal life, but that’s so far from the truth. My heart goes out to those who have an inside battle but are still here fighting for their lives, you all are warriors and I am proud of you. And I could go on for hours…
The sad part is I do not have any power over these problems so I just end up writing something I know I don’t actually need, on the tear-stained paper, wishing I would be able to do more than that. I know I am not the only one who thinks this way and finally, I realized why parents always said they do not want anything for Christmas. Sometimes, we just have to understand that presents, no matter how expensive they are, cannot guarantee our happiness and help us get that fulfilling feeling in our hearts. So all I want for Christmas this year is to be a child again, having no idea about how cruel this world is, but knowing this “gift” is out of reach, I am going to be pleased with whatever my parents think I am going to like. The thing with presents is that the gesture is much more important than the present itself is; just the fact that they thought about us and choose a gift that fits their perception of us should be enough.
P.S: Merry Christmas to all of you and I hope you are gonna have a great time, cherishing every moment of this holiday. As Emily Dickinson said, “Forever is composed by nows.”
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