By: Erica Saldarriaga
For years, families have debated when the perfect time to celebrate Christmas is. While some prefer to go the more traditional route and spend December 25th (Christmas Day) basking in the enjoyments of the holiday, other prefer to celebrate the night of December 24th (Christmas Eve). Whichever you prefer to celebrate, there’s no doubt that each one has their fair share of upsides and downsides.
Celebrating on Christmas Eve: Christmas on the 24th is something that is participated in widely by the Hispanic community. Families tend to set up a big meal and later go on to dancing until 12:00p.m which is when they open the gifts that they received from “Santa.”
| Pros: -The excitement of waiting for Midnight to hit. -Celebrating with your family at night and spending quality times with loved ones. -Being able to stay home on Christmas day. -Opening presents earlier than everyone else. | Cons: -No presents to open on Christmas Morning. -More clean up after guests leave -Feeling more pressure to give and thank everyone for their presents -On Christmas morning there is not much left to do. -Christmas morning tends to feel less festive |
Celebrating on the Christmas Day: Christmas on the 25th is a more typical Christmas experiences. Where children wake up early and run to the tree in the morning filled with excitement. On the 25th , families usually wake up, eat a nice breakfast and spend the day together.
| Pros: -There’s less pressure on families to be around others. -There’s no rush when opening presents. -Families are together in a more intimate setting, creating precious memories -Kids have more to look forward to the night before | Cons: -Little to no celebration the night before. -People do not tend to spend time with extended family until after the 25th -Kids are more anxious when waiting for the 25th because they don’t have a distraction |
Who are your gifts from?
Gifts from Santa: Typically, in American households the parents set the gifts to say: to *persons name*, from Santa. This is done so the children in the house believe that Santa is the one that came by and left the presents.
| Pros: -Children believe the tale that they are told about Santa and it keeps holiday spirit alive -It is easier for children to understand and does not confuse the children as to who gets them what. -It reassures them that they will have somebody giving them presents. | Cons: -Children tend to get very mad or shocked when they find out the truth. -This may cause a problem if the parents are going through financial hardship. -There is no credit given to those who are actually giving the gifts. |
Gifts from Family Members: This is done mostly in Hispanic household, family members tend to put the names Tia Santa, Abuela Santa or any other title they may have. This is done to help the smaller kids understand who they got their presents from while still keeping the holiday spirit alive.
| Pros: -Children always know who they are getting gifts from -They tend to be more grateful to those who are giving them gifts. -It is very direct when presents are given from family members or parents to the kids. | Cons: -Might create confusion with who Santa is or how gift receiving works. -Creates an expectation to receive gifts from family members/ parents. |
The Watchdog 