The most wonderful time of the year is approaching, streets are getting lightened up, the rush to buy presents has started, we will soon see colored trees through the windows and that dazzling and lively atmosphere that only Christmas can give is settling in. 

Overall, whether it has a religious meaning in it or not, I do believe that it is fair to say that Christmas represents a moment of reflection, a break from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, an opportunity to stop – even for just a second – and focus on what really matters, a time to be thankful and to reconnect with our family and our own traditions. I would even dare to say that it is truly a time of the year which is all about love and being together. And – believe it or not – it feels the same for young people here in Italy. 

Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi does truly space across generations and in the brief shining moment of the Christmas period, that longing for adventure, exploration, worldwide wandering and discovery which seems to characterize most young people is instead replaced by a willingness to stay in one’s own cozy home, putting up the decorations while playing around with younger siblings, imagining the huge amount of food that will be served, preparing oneself to listen yet again to another family’s story and to spend countless hours at the dining table as the most classic Christmas songs keep playing in the background and hoping that you will finally win at least one round of tombola. And we love it all. We have been waiting the whole year for this. We do not leave at Christmas, we rather come home. 

One of the most beautiful and fascinating things about Christmas is that it comprises a set of widely known and shared traditions – such as exchanging gifts, putting up the tree and/or the nativity scene, having celebration dinners with friends, going shopping at Christmas markets, talking about imaginary characters like Santa Claus and the Befana – that can also be made unique and personal by everyone and every family. We start to personalize our Christmas at a very early age, whether it is by crafting a tree decoration that we will keep using even after twenty years or starting a small family tradition of watching the same Christmas movie every year on Christmas Eve, and, as we grow up, I strongly believe that we continue to appreciate, treasure, and respect these traditions and we further develop a sentimental bond towards all of them as we look for them, give them life and go back to them every single year. 

At Christmas, we are not too grownup for anything because it is truly that moment of the year in which we all tend to put aside our quest and our path towards adulthood and the immense responsibilities that rightly come with it to allow us to make room to the possibility of feeling like a child again and taste once more that light-heartedness of childhood as we hope to get to spend a Christmas that it is only in the name of cheerfulness, celebrations, joy and happiness with the people we love the most. 

On the other side of the Atlantic, instead, the holiday season begins a little bit earlier as Thanksgiving already starts to bring people together and ignite the Christmas spirit. 

As much as this American festivity is also a testament to the respect, observance and appreciation of traditions, family time and well-established practices, I think it is interesting to notice that, according to a poll conducted two years ago among 2,000 U.S. citizens between the age of 18 and 38, seven in ten young Americans prefer to celebrate Thanksgiving with their friends (having therefore a “Friendsgiving”, as it is being called) rather than having a traditional celebration. In fact, 62% reveal that they don’t like hosting or attending a traditional Thanksgiving. However, some aspect of the traditions still remain as almost half of them nevertheless wish to have the traditional Thanksgiving dishes at their Friendsgiving. 

While I discuss with my mom about when we should start putting up the decorations as I insist that I’d rather stick to the tradition of doing it on December 8^th while she impatiently can’t wait any longer, I reflect on the fact that one of the many things that we all have in common is how much we care –  starting from the very beginning of our life and in our own specific way – about all those traditions that make Christmas such a special and magical time.  

Christmas does truly take us back, even young people, and what do you say, I bet that most of the youngest out there still believe in Santa this time of the year…