By Erica Gustafson, Staff Writer
Millions of people celebrate Christmas every year in their unique ways. This holiday has become a seasonal celebration with several different winter activities mixed in. People are always divided on how others “should” celebrate and take part in all of the festivities. Some thoroughly believe that Christmas is only a one-day celebration, while others believe that it can’t be summed up in 24 hours.
As cheesy as it may sound, Christmas is so much more than a holiday. It is getting together with family, listening to cheerful music, and catching up on time that we can never get back. The Christmas Spirit is such a huge and impactful part of the holidays that can be shared all year along with other little bits of the holiday season.
Christmas music has always been a controversial subject around the holiday. Many people get upset and annoyed hearing Christmas music too early or too long after the holiday passes. Some others generally like the cheerful music, and they start listening when they feel like it. In reality, Christmas music is like any other music genre people listen to. It is natural that not every person is going to like all different types of music. Christmas music is simply a very unique and specific type of music that is just one of the little parts of Christmas that can be enjoyed all year long.
Some towns across the globe celebrate Christmas regularly with shops, parks, and even their post offices. They add the Christmas spirit and traditions into other parts of the year.
In the small town of Christmas, Florida, the people are known to think of Christmas daily. This town has a population of just over 1,000 people, and they are known to keep a few holiday decorations up 365 days a year. It may look like nothing to people outside of the town, but these decorations symbolize Christmas joy and happiness. During the actual holiday season, thousands of visitors are seen at the local post office where they get a special “Christmas” postmark on their greeting cards.
In Christmas Valley, Oregon, the community takes the town name very seriously with simple details. If you ever go to visit, you will notice that more than a dozen of the street names are holiday and winter-themed. As an example, two of the streets are named Snowman Road and Holly Street. This may not be a huge celebrating factor, but it is a unique way for the community to show their holiday spirit to those who visit.
Other communities tend to express more openly their Christmas spirit and excitement in bigger ways. Santa’s Village, Bracebridge, Ontario, is a great example of that. With being just under 200 miles north of Toronto, this is known as its own “fun-filled Christmas wonderland.” The family-run park offers a Ferris wheel of ornament-shaped cars, a Rudolph-themed coaster, and a petting zoo with real reindeer.
Christmas may be only one day of the year, but the spirit and happiness are more impactful than what we may realize.
gustafea18@bonaventure.edu
