I am not a huge Christmas person. I have an ever-growing hatred for Christmas music. Every radio station plays about ten songs non-stop the second Halloween ends, making all Christmas music unbearable. In addition to the overplayed classics, you have the weird new Christmas songs people try to make. They are rarely good.
I also am not a big fan of Christmas movies for the same reasons. These don’t start quite as early; most channels don’t play their first Christmas movies until after Thanksgiving. But once Thanksgiving is past, the repetitive lineup of Christmas movies breaks the threshold. For some, these movies will never lose their charm. For me, they got old pretty fast. The new Christmas movies basically always miss the mark.
This year, I have completely closed myself off from the Christmas season. I have not listened to one lyric of Christmas music or watched a single scene of a Christmas movie. The only way I have been involved with anything Christmas related is the countless Christmas interviews I have done for my internship.
I write for a newspaper outlet called The Villager which is based in Ellicottville. I have absolutely loved writing for this publication. It is a great experience for me as an aspiring journalist. Since joining the staff, I have written five articles in a matter of six weeks, all pertaining to a Christmas event.
My first article was about an iconic Christmas parade held every year here in Olean. Then I wrote about a first-time holiday event in Bemus Point intended to raise Christmas spirit. After that, I interviewed someone from Chautauqua Institution about their Winter Village and Christmas activities. Next, I spoke with someone from Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet about their upcoming Nutcracker performance in Jamestown, and how it is a holiday tradition for so many families in the community. And finally, my last article for the semester was about a live holiday performance in Mayville.
I am not complaining in the slightest about writing these articles, in fact, I have truly loved writing each of these pieces. It was so interesting to hear from different people not only what their event meant to them, but to their community as well. For some odd reason, it never occurred to me that towns other than just those in Hallmark movies actually come together for a big event to celebrate the holiday season together.
Whether it is a parade, tree lighting, or live performances, many towns in the area put a lot of effort into raising the Christmas spirit and getting the community altogether. While this revelation hasn’t at all changed my attitudes toward Christmas music and movies, it has helped me to view the Christmas spirit through a lens of positivity and togetherness.