There is a certain picture that comes to mind when people think of Christmas. A tree in the living room, wrapped gifts and snow on the ground outside. As the popular Christmas song, “Let it Snow,” says: “The weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful.” But there does not need to be snow on the ground for it to be Christmas.
I was born and raised in Arizona. I have never had a “white” Christmas with an inch of snow on the ground. My Christmas is usually sunny with a high of 60 degrees. People always ask me, ‘so have you never had a real Christmas?’ But what does a real Christmas mean? The actual definition of Christmas states it is a feast where people celebrate the birth of Jesus on the twenty-fifth of December. In the morning, kids wake up early to open all of their gifts placed under the tree. Now, this holiday is not just celebrated by Christians and has evolved, the weather is not a variable.
Growing up, the traditions my family did together made the holiday so special. My family and I go hiking the day after Christmas and never bundle up in long sleeve Christmas pajamas. In school we would cut paper snowflakes and hang them up, knowing we wouldn’t see any when we stepped outside.
A real Christmas can be a lot of different things. It can be special because it is a time to see family you haven’t seen in a while. It can be the smell of Christmas candles, the colors, green and red, the gifts you receive, the gifts you are excited to give, baking and icing cookies or any other tradition you often partake in. All of these reasons are among the many that make this holiday magical.
I refuse to think that in the 18 years of my life I have never had a real Christmas because there was no snow on the ground. Many warm states have the same climate as Arizona. The gathering of family and the memories you make year after year is what makes a “real” Christmas.