The societal expectations associated with the winter holidays have shifted as we mature and become older. For many teens, they tend to face the reality of the winter holidays; the cost of gifts, emotional and mental burdens, and rotting away in bed as you wait for the winter break to end.

After experiencing high school for a few years, Ashley Jaharan, now a senior in high school, reminisces about what her childhood winter experiences were like. 

“I-I feel like when I was younger, I would expect more like I would want like all these presents, I would wanna see a tree up and all these decorations,” Jaharan said.

Oblivious to reality due to the childish notion that follows the winter festivities, Jaharan reflected on how she felt about the winter holidays. Jaharan was not alone in these childish delusions, similar to her, Renita Gobin who is a senior in high school also believed in the magic that the holiday spirit brought.

“I think I was more excited but I got less gifts then than I do now. I also had less friends than I do now,” Gobin said.

Although Gobin does share a similar sentiment to Jaharan regarding their past feelings on the winter holidays, Gobin’s present experiences have made her appreciate the joy of the winter holidays even more than she did as a child. 

However, being older doesn’t erase the magic of holidays for all. Maria Gomez, a Junior in high school, feels that her holiday spirit is as festive as ever. 

“Umm I dont think they’ve changed. I feel like the holidays is like the one time you can relax and have a good time with everybody and I don’t think that’s ever changed for me,” Gomez said.

The season to be jolly is there for many people as they unwind and enjoy the activities. For others these activities may be stressful. A teenager’s experiences may be depressive or festive but it all stems from experiences and expectations. 

“Maybe less of the emotions because I feel like there’s more, like you have that certain holiday joy when you were a kid like you believe Santa is real and it’s not really like that anymore cause as you get older you have more burdens that you hold,” Gomez said.