Christmas traditions that get far more hype than they deserve
Joshua Boulet, Staff Writer
Christmas can be fun and a good time to relax with family or friends. When a holiday has so much history, there are bound to be some traditions that don’t live up to the hype.
1. Eggnog
Photo Courtesy of Pixabay
Does anybody really like eggnog? Eggnog is probably enjoyed by approximately zero people. It’s an odd seasonal drink that is weirdly flavored and thick. If people liked eggnog, they would drink it for more than a single day in the year.
2. White Elephant Gift exchanges
Photo Courtesy of Pixabay
Unless the budget for the gift is around five dollars, most people just end up wasting money. Unfortunately, it usually ends up with a twenty dollar limit. With that limit, some people are buying bad pens, while others are buying legitimately decent items. The point of the white elephant exchange is that the gifts are trash, but they sometimes run with a few good gifts. We can do better than this as a society.
3. Watching Hallmark Movies
Photo Courtesy of Pixabay
This one may be a bit more controversial, but it always seems like there are boring hallmark movies on the TV. Audiences get “The Christmas Card,” “A Christmas Melody,” “A Christmas Detour,” “A Christmas to Remember,” and way too many more. People are always talking about big capitalistic organizations such as Apple or Google, but totally ignore Hallmark’s sea of cash-grab Christmas movies with no creativity or artistic spirit. Is this being a bit harsh? “Pride, Prejudice, and Mistletoe” says otherwise.
4. Christmas Cards
Illustration Courtesy of Pixabay
The year is 2018. People are still sending Christmas to friends, family, and relatives. Not just Christmas cards, but custom ones with pictures of their family imposed on a holiday background. They are far too expensive and totally unnecessary. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all exist now. If a family wants to brag on everyone else with how great their family is, they can do it without spending money.
5. Christmas Music
Illustration Courtesy of Pixabay
Not all Christmas music is terrible. Some Christmas music is pretty good, but it can sometimes feels like the same twelve songs are being played on repeat 24/7. Nevertheless, some people do like Christmas music. The problem is that certain good radio stations will start playing Christmas music the second Halloween is over. Two entire months of the same overplayed Christmas music gets old quickly. Sometimes, the stations get creative and play remixes which is technically better than not trying to mix things up at all.
6. Gingerbread Houses
There are three possibilities for gingerbread houses and none of them are worth participating in. First, the customer buys a pre-built house and then they decorate it with candy. It isn’t engaging and the candy isn’t edible after spending weeks on the house.
Second, the customer buys a gingerbread house set, then builds and decorates the house from the pieces given. This is mildly more exciting, but everything is still gross to eat and children (the main audience) will definitely mess it up.
Finally, the customer makes gingerbread from scratch and makes the house that way. This is overly difficult and ends with the adult doing all the work while the kids wait around.
Christmas can be a decent holiday, but maybe consider how worthwhile some traditions are before participating in them.
