From a Teen’s Perspective: The real holiday magic

Happy holidays, everyone! We have just entered the wonderful season of tinsel-trimmed trees, (literally) heartwarming hot cocoa, and gifts, gifts galore. It’s hard to resist the winter cheer as you pass by festive storefronts, indulge in special seasonal treats, and watch houses undergo their annual decorative glow-up (unless of course you fashion yourself a modern-day Scrooge).

I am a holiday enthusiast. My sister? A certified holiday fanatic. She has covered our house in fake snow and Taylor Swift-themed ornaments. Christmas music and the Hallmark Channel are a constant background to my daily life.

Like many others, I think the holidays are the best time of the year. It’s like the whole world lights up. There are traditions to uphold, gifts to buy, Mariah Carey songs to play on repeat. No matter what you celebrate, this initial phase of winter is one of joy, connection, and hope.

And while there is so much more I could say about the wonders of the holidays, I want to focus on us, all of us, because it’s people who truly bring the season to life.

Every year we make a choice to believe in the holiday season. We don’t have to throw parties or give gifts. We don’t have to donate to charity or serve our community. We don’t have to do anything at all.

It’s not hard to believe that human nature is corrupt. People lie and steal and hurt each other all the time. Yet the modern idea of the holidays is born and upheld by the goodness of our human nature.

We choose to celebrate the people we love a little bit extra just because a long time ago someone decided we should. We make things beautiful because it brings us joy to see things sparkle and shine. And above all, we choose to hope for the future, to look forward to our lives and all the terrifying yet undeniably exhilarating and fulfilling ways we can live it.

The greatest gift I receive each holiday season is a clear reminder that humanity is willing to show compassion, celebrate one another, and make our world a more beautiful and loving place, just because we all decide it should be so. We trust in each other’s abilities to give back and move forward because we choose to see the good in people.

The holiday season is proof that change is possible, that we can live with greater kindness, respect, and promise for the future. Even better, it shows that we don’t need some fancy reason to do it.

All we need to do is believe in magic. Not that the kind that makes reindeer fly, but the kind that rests within our hearts and tells us to place our hope in one another.

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Dylan Lanier is a senior at Menlo-Atherton High School. His column appears weekly.