There’s something about Christmas that changes as people grew older.

Freshman Teegan Hunald said, “Yeah… Like it feels different. Like, I remember when I was younger, excited to get presents, but now it’s just like, I usually just get the money. When it’s like, yeah, I want money, but it doesn’t feel like as special, you know?”

Hunald said he was given a remote controllable robot when he was 6 years old, and he was amused by it. But now he said he only gets money now and when he gets a toy, he said “it wasn’t the same anymore.”

Hunald mentioned there always being so much hype on Christmas Eve and being very excited.

Journalism teacher Christina Geabhart said, “My grandparents always went down to Corpus Christi, Texas, every winter and then my other set of grandparents, they lived here in Gladstone. And so, we would always go over to my grandma’s house for Christmas. And now, I’m the house that everybody comes to for Christmas. So, I think family traditions change as your family grows up. Like, when we were little, we were always with our cousins. But now, all my cousins have their own families in their own in-laws in their own homes. And so, the Christmas feeling I had growing up is not the family I have now, but I think that’s just part of growing up and getting older.”

Although on the other hand, Gladstone resident Crystal Sutherlin didn’t agree.

“No, I don’t think anything has changed,” Sutherlin said. “But I do know that we are more inclusive with other types of holidays that happen like Kwanzaa and other holidays that happen around Christmas. So, if anything, that has changed but I feel like for us I don’t think anything’s changed.”

Sutherlin said she was always super happy during Christmas. Just because they got to spend time with their families. It’s just an exciting time of the year.

Hunald said one thing about Christmas hasn’t changed but more in a grow up way like Geabhart said.

“It’s kind of just the same,” Hunald said. “It doesn’t feel as special because it was like Christmas, in my opinion, like Christmas is kind of for younger kids. Because, you know, younger kids usually excited to get like presents and stuff. And like that’s kind of how it was. And then now like for older people, it’s just, you know, it feels, like, it’s maybe it’s more stressful for older people.”