About a month ago, we had our 2021 Christmas, then New Year, and now it’s 2022, but you may feel like something has been missing. Maybe it’s just in our heads, but maybe there’s a reason why things don’t seem the same as they used to.

When we look back on our childhood, most of us remember the holidays: Christmas, Halloween, New Year, Easter, etc. As kids, they were something we always looked forward to. We remember it being the best moments of the year. On Halloween, we would get excited to put on a costume and get candy. On Christmas, you’d get to open presents on Christmas morning, and it was the happiest day of the year. It all seems so happy and joyful when we look back on it. Part of the reason is the uncanny reality that we’ve grown up with.

As a kid, you aren’t as aware of the bad things around you. The world is how you choose to view it. You remember only the best moments and good times years later. As we’ve grown older, the reality of the world has hit us, and that wonderful world we used to know isn’t real anymore.

Another reason is our expectations have changed. As you grow older, the things your heart desires most can’t always be given to you. As a kid, the most important thing to you might be a toy, but it’s not the same anymore. The sad truth is the holidays aren’t going to fix reality. We’ve changed as people over the years. Our values have changed and so have our expectations, and we aren’t as easily made happy as we used to be. 

Overall, it’s all in the matter of growing up. When we grow, we change as people, and that includes changes in our opinions, values, and expectations. This all changes the holidays in many ways. All we can do is remember to value the time we have while it lasts.