Christmas meant something different to me growing up.
Santa was never part of the equation. Not because I was cynical or angry or deprived of imagination, but because I understood early that Santa did not write IOUs. He did not wait until tax refunds arrived. He did not promise later what could not be delivered now.
That understanding did not come with bitterness. It came with clarity.
Our family was not materialistic. We were close, even when the home itself was fractured in ways that do not fit neatly into memory. We loved one another deeply. We just did not measure Christmas by what was under the tree or how many gifts could be stacked around it.
Holidays were never meant to be grand in our house. They were never meant to be performative. There were no dozens of boxes. There was no illusion that one day out of the year would suddenly make everything whole.
Christmas showed up in quieter ways. In the rare moments when my mom could scrape together enough money for a school field trip. In the expensive snack at the zoo or the Space and Rocket Center that felt like a luxury because I understood what it took to make it happen.
Those moments, small to most, carried more meaning than anything that could have been wrapped and placed under a tree.
As adults, we chase the rush. The tearing of wrapping paper. The quick hit of excitement. The momentary endorphin dump that fades almost as fast as it arrives. We convince ourselves that the giving or receiving of things is what makes the season meaningful.
It never was.
What lasts is time. What lasts is presence. What lasts is knowing who showed up when it counted, who sat beside you, who laughed with you, who stayed.
Those are the gifts that do not wear out, do not break, do not end up forgotten in a closet by February.
So as boxes are opened and paper is shredded this Christmas, I hope we pause long enough to remember that the things will fade. The moments will not.
From myself and everyone at The Cullman Tribune and Cullman Today, Merry Christmas. May we carry the parts that matter into the days ahead and look forward to a better, steadier 2026.
