With the arrival of December and winter break approaching, the holiday season is here. People have many different traditions and opinions surrounding the holidays, so I thought it would be fun to share some of my holiday hot takes – primarily about Christmas, since that is the holiday I celebrate.
My first hot take regards having snow on Christmas and may be controversial to many people. Now, I’ve grown up in Missouri all my life, which may sway my opinion, but I am not upset when there isn’t snow on Christmas. To be clear, I like snow and I want snow days in December. However, on Christmas Day itself, I don’t need snow. The largest reason for this is that it is a hazard for the many people traveling home for the holidays. I understand that people want snow for the ambience of the winter holiday, but safety-wise, I am not a fan.
A common activity around this time of year is watching one of the hundreds of Hallmark Christmas movies. My hot take is that Hallmark movies aren’t inherently bad. My opinion of Hallmark movies is similar to my opinion on the Twilight Saga: we know it isn’t going to be a cinematic masterpiece. However, if you watch them knowing they are going to be cheesy and bad, then you may find yourself enjoying the films even more.
As someone who does not consume a lot of movies, another Christmas movie hot take is that “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is one of the best Christmas movies ever – the Jim Carrey live action version, of course. I could care less if “Die Hard” is technically a Christmas movie, and truthfully, I was underwhelmed the first time I watched “Home Alone.” However, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is funny, undeniably Christmas-themed, and has a good, heartfelt message in the end.
When it comes to holiday music, I believe that the Mariah Carey “All I Want for Christmas is You” song is good but incredibly overused. I vote that we need a new top Christmas song, because that one loses its spirit every time I hear it played.
Another important aspect of the holidays is food. My family has a tradition of eating breakfast for dinner on Christmas, so I don’t have many opinions on Christmas dinners. Despite that, I have hot takes on other holiday foods. I think eggnog is nasty and I stand by that. I don’t understand how people like it – it is weirdly thick and tastes bad. Even the name, which evokes the image of raw eggs as a milky drink, sounds unappealing, and it is. Another hot take is that hot cocoa is good but overhyped. Truthfully, I only want to drink it if it is really cold and I want it to warm me up. My biggest hot take, however, is that unless someone makes it homemade, gingerbread isn’t good. I love decorating gingerbread houses. I think it feels fun and crafty. But no one eats the house because the gingerbread cookie is bad and the candy is stale.
Something that isn’t a hot take, at least I hope it isn’t, is that this time of year is filled with fun traditions and wonderful people. Whether you build gingerbread houses, watch terrible movies, and perhaps even drink eggnog while you do it, it is a beautiful time of year to celebrate those around you, no matter what traditions you partake in. Enjoy this break from classes and school, and enjoy your time with your family!