Spring Break
Column: holiday memories through the years
Tyler Will
Issue date: 12/9/08 Section: Editorial/Opinion
12/09/08 - My parents never did the Santa Claus thing with me. When I was 13, I asked them why they never had me believe in the guy with the red suit and white beard, and they told me it's because they didn't want to feel like they were lying to their kids. I loved being in the know, and I was that kid who went around telling people Santa wasn't real. I'm a living, walking, talking Grinch.
I had all the arguments, all the reasons Santa was fake. Time zones, 5 billion people and sled space were some, and I think the ACLU would have shut him down by now, if he were real. I just can't see them tolerating a guy who creeps down people's chimneys; it's an invasion of privacy at the least.
From when I was little, I always knew it was Mom and Dad who were putting the wrapped parcels beneath the tree. And we had Christmas in some very interesting places; my dad was in the Navy for 30 years, and I lived all over the country and in Japan twice.
Regardless of whom I thought was putting those gifts underneath our tree, it's always been a time of family for me. My brothers go to college elsewhere in the country. My oldest brother lives in Hawaii, and my dad still travels all over the world, this week he's in Africa.
When the six of us meet in a week and a half, we'll probably sit by the fireplace, chugging hot chocolate and make fun of each other, and tell stories about what's happened during the year. One of my older brothers was just selected to be a Marine helicopter pilot, and I'm eagerly awaiting his arrival to hear about it.
Holidays are full of stories. A historical one that always inspires me is on Christmas Eve during World War I in 1914, German soldiers began singing "Silent Night" in the area between the trenches. Thousands of allied soldiers exchanged gifts with them, and a Christmas truce was established.
That's kind of what the "Christmas spirit" is, one of giving. While in college, we're always focused on the next exam, the next paper. In December, we get some time off to think about each other and our families.
I had all the arguments, all the reasons Santa was fake. Time zones, 5 billion people and sled space were some, and I think the ACLU would have shut him down by now, if he were real. I just can't see them tolerating a guy who creeps down people's chimneys; it's an invasion of privacy at the least.
From when I was little, I always knew it was Mom and Dad who were putting the wrapped parcels beneath the tree. And we had Christmas in some very interesting places; my dad was in the Navy for 30 years, and I lived all over the country and in Japan twice.
Regardless of whom I thought was putting those gifts underneath our tree, it's always been a time of family for me. My brothers go to college elsewhere in the country. My oldest brother lives in Hawaii, and my dad still travels all over the world, this week he's in Africa.
When the six of us meet in a week and a half, we'll probably sit by the fireplace, chugging hot chocolate and make fun of each other, and tell stories about what's happened during the year. One of my older brothers was just selected to be a Marine helicopter pilot, and I'm eagerly awaiting his arrival to hear about it.
Holidays are full of stories. A historical one that always inspires me is on Christmas Eve during World War I in 1914, German soldiers began singing "Silent Night" in the area between the trenches. Thousands of allied soldiers exchanged gifts with them, and a Christmas truce was established.
That's kind of what the "Christmas spirit" is, one of giving. While in college, we're always focused on the next exam, the next paper. In December, we get some time off to think about each other and our families.
