Editor’s Note: PGM staff members decide on the topic of a Staff Ed together. The staff as a whole provides opinions and content included in this Staff Ed to provide thoughts about and shed light on solutions for happenings at Pepperdine
Dear Pepperdine community,
Beyond the Thanksgiving turkey, the Christmas songs and the New Year’s kiss, the holiday season means something different for everyone.
Maybe, for some, it is sweet nostalgia, reconnecting with family, sharing a meal and laughing over the sound of wrapping paper destruction. Or maybe it is arguing over the pronunciation of poinsettia and whether “Die Hard” and “The Sound of Music” are considered Christmas movies.
Perhaps the memories are warm and bright, maybe they come with some grief and loneliness, or maybe they are just complicated. Regardless, when the air gets a little crisper and the layers get thicker, we know there is something to celebrate.
When the cobwebs come down and the jack-o-lanterns reach their expiration date, we know mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce are not too far away. We know school is reaching its close for the semester and soon we will be able to spend all day watching Christmas movies and playing cards with our favorite cousin.
Nothing is as beautiful as coming together, spending time with family and friends, and participating in those old family traditions. From Sunday night football, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest,” the list goes on and on.
The beauty of traditions is although they might be repetitive, they never get old. There is always something new and fresh that manifests each year.
One of the most timeless holiday traditions is looking at Christmas lights — walking or driving through different neighborhoods and marveling (or heckling) the decorations.
Whether it’s an extravagant set-up, decked out in countless lights and inflatables, or a more subtle and simple decoration, the holiday spirit is oh so there.
Picture a timeline of your holiday season. Imagine your younger self participating in the traditions created by your grandparent’s parents. Whether it’s decorating cookies with “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” in the background, or all gathered around the table playing a (very) niche family game, these traditions transcend through time.
It’s easy to find joy in it all as a 5-year-old, just as it is at 17 and at 23 all the way through the end of time. Traditions solidify the beauty and uniqueness of family.
The holiday season has such a niche way of bringing families together. For some, being out-of-state has bloomed an interesting feeling of homesickness and a strong yearning for home. For others, participating in their special family holiday traditions and being surrounded by loved ones is the one thing keeping them motivated for the semester.
Our family’s love truly shines in the warmth and magic of the holiday season.
No matter your feelings about the holiday season, we encourage you to put down the burden of this semester, which has been a semester of triumph and loss, dancing and mourning, happiness and emptiness, and enjoy the blissfulness of this season.
Enjoy the cold air, enjoy the warm hot chocolate, enjoy the silly family games, enjoy the football, enjoy the joy.
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