For as long as I can remember, holidays have been a time of excitement for me. I grew up celebrating Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving—there was always something planned either at school or at home for celebrating. Lately, though, I’ve been thinking about something. Being at college and celebrating holidays here is very different than the activities we have planned at home. Here’s a look at some holidays and how they’ve changed meanings and celebrations as we have gotten older.
New Year’s Eve
When I was younger, I remember being so excited to be able to stay up until midnight. It was a challenge to stay awake that late. I had a tradition where one of my friends would come over and we would watch movies all night and pig out on Gushers and Hot Tamales until the ball dropped. After that, it was bedtime. Nowadays, New Year’s Eve is a chance to get together with a large group of people and celebrate the end of the year by doing everything you can to not remember it. Staying up until midnight isn’t really a special occasion anymore, it’s actually more of a treat when it doesn’t happen.
Valentine’s Day
This lovely holiday used to be an excuse to dress up in a cute outfit and hand out your Spongebob, Scooby-Doo, race car, or any other type of Valentine’s day cards. I remember I would always be nervous to give it to my crush in the class. Now, Valentine’s Day consists of either couples being very happy and lovey-dovey, or eating ice cream while wallowing in self-pity wishing you had a significant other. Having had both a single’s and a couple’s Valentine’s Day, they are very different. Personally, I thought passing out cards in class was cute, but that’s just me.
Independence Day
This holiday was always one of my favorites to celebrate at the beginning of the summer. Our family friends would always throw a pool party with tons of food, and then afterwards we would all head down to the center of town to watch the fireworks. Walking around with my friends was a privilege that I eventually got, and as the years passed my cute Old Navy flag tank tops turned into crop tops. Now, it’s more about meeting up with friends, looking good, and bringing a drink with you.
Halloween
“In the real world, Halloween is when kids dress up in costumes and beg for candy. In girl world, Halloween is the one day a year when a girl can dress up like a total slut and no other girls can say anything else about it.” Recognize this quote? Mean Girls really hit the nail on the head for how Halloween celebrations evolve as we get older. Halloween used to mean dressing as a witch, an M&M, or maybe a princess. One time I dressed as Sailor Moon. Halloween costumes these days mean a minimal amount of clothing. ANYTHING can be made sexy for a costume if you just keep the bare minimum covered.
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving usually doesn’t involve boozing up like some other holidays do, but for me Thanksgiving became something that I look forward to so much more when I’m at college. Getting together with your family and eating great food is awesome when you live at home, but when you’ve moved out and haven’t seen your family/eaten a home-cooked meal in a while, Thanksgiving is absolutely cherished.
Christmas
Once again, I look forward to Christmas so much because it means I get to see my family and spend time together. What I hate, though, is that the Santa illusion is shattered. Christmas is amazing, but it’s not the same as when I believed in Santa. Having a younger sibling, I got to live with the spirit longer than most because he still believed in Santa; sadly, though, he is skeptical now. Still, Christmas is a joyous time to eat a lot and be happy with your family, even now.