Gabe & Gula

Gabe

It is Oct. 31, and everyone is finishing their last minute shopping. Children are getting dressed up for a festive night and stores close early for the adventures of Halloween.

Well, at least that is what humans are doing. Obviously, there are a bunch of elves, reindeer and snowmen scurrying through our stores because by the morning of Nov. 1, Christmas apparel could be spotted almost everywhere.

Three weeks before Thanksgiving, really? I don’t want to see the same stuffed Santa Clause or hear about reindeer games on Christmas, let alone a month in advance.

Call me crazy, call me scrooge, even call me the Grinch, but I certainly did not steal the Christmas Spirit. The media stories and world stole the spirit of what Christmas is really about.

Don’t get me wrong, I love some decorations, some ho ho’s and the milk and cookies too. However, Christmas is about Christ, the one who saved us from eternal life in hell. It’s about celebrating his birth and the fact that if he were never born, we would not be free from sin.

Also, you know that people are getting it wrong when you are not allowed to say Merry Christmas in stores anymore, but clerks must say Happy Holiday’s.

So before you set up your lights, decorations and relax around the fire, remind yourself why we celebrate Christmas and where we would be if Christ would have never made that sacrifice.

— Gabriel Fowler

Gula

What many might consider to be early signs of Senioritis I like to think of as “Christmasitis.” It’s not terminal, of course, but it is detrimental to my grades. It’s contracted during Thanksgiving break when students get their first taste of the festive spirit that dominates the U.S. from early December to the beginning of February.

While some might complain that Christmas practically starts a month early, it’s more than okay with me. Christmasitis and my personal opinion aside, there are legitimate reasons for starting the celebrations earlier.

First, you’re less likely to forget to buy presents when signs of Christmas are literally on every corner. Also, the peaceful melodies fill the air as we all break out our Christmas music from that hidden little corner of our iTunes libraries. Most importantly of all, the cold weather and Christmas lights all point to the fact that, in only a short while, we’ll be home.

For me, the best part is spending a month with loved ones. But that does not overshadow the true meaning of Christmas. My family celebrates Christ’s birth on both Christmas Eve and Day – we have sung “Happy Birthday” to Jesus for as long as I’ve been alive.

There’s no problem in letting the Christmas spirit take over for two months or more. And if you run into one of those people that argues against the spread of the Christmas season over break, please, ask them to keep their “bah humbugs” to themselves and let the rest of us celebrate the most joyful time of the year for as long as we can.

— Andrew Gula