Dec

4

I think I’m over Christmas




I might be over Christmas.  Over as in, moving on.  Oh, not over the holiday.  Over the frenzy that seems to start earlier and earlier every year. I’m seriously considering dropping out of the whole thing.

Christmas – the holiday – is probably my favorite time of the year.  I love the start of cold weather, the twinkling lights on the houses, pretty trees lit up in windows, and Christmas music.  I don’t love the comercialized version of this holiday.  I never have, but as I get older and crankier, I don’t want to participate anymore.

I long ago decided that the Black Friday shopping madness was not for me.  Lately I’ve been thinking that I want to avoid the shopping madness all season long, not just on Black Friday.  When did this holiday become all about bargains and sales and long lists of wants? I could be wrong, but it seems like we’re missing the point.

For me, this is very much a religous holiday.  However, I respect other people’s beliefs and don’t want to assume that it is about religon for anyone else.  But since that is my belief, then all this buying and shopping is contrary to what I really want to be celebrating right now.  My family. Our health. Friends. Not getting the best deal on the latest and greatest electronic gadget.

I won’t lie.  If money was no object – and it has always been an object – maybe I’d think differently.  If I didn’t have a budget, then maybe shopping wouldn’t be so distasteful to me.  But I know my heart pretty well, and its really not about money or the lack of it. My kids are used to what they consider “slim” Christmases, which I consider not slim but certainly not excessive.  We’ve never gone overboard with gifts, which goes back to that whole money thing. It makes me  happy that when I ask my boys what they want for Christmas, they don’t have a long list of stuff. In fact, one of my kids cannot come up with more than one thing he wants.  There are a few things they need, which they will get, but it will be slim, again. There probably will not be a gift under our tree with my name on it. The things I want more than anything are things I need, and no one can give me these things.  I need rest. I need peace.  I’m not being hokey. There is not one single product that anyone could buy that I want. Not buying anything for me – now that does make me happy.

This has been a crazy, stressful year for my family. Health issues, job issues, kid issues, on and on. The last thing I want is to spend December trying to figure out how to pay for a lot of “wants” and then fighting the crowds to shop for those wants.  Nothing crushes my Christmas spirit more than the dreaded mall – or Super Center.

A lot of blogs post Christmas gift guides, with the coolest gift ideas. I love reading those, especially the ones with homemade gifts. I even posted a gift guide last year. But I’ll be honest, I’m not a shopper, so for me to come up with a gift guide is a stretch.  And this year, more than any year before, I’m not in the mood for those kinds of guides.  I’m going to be contrary and offer  you a different kind of guide. This is my guide, a guide of things I love doing during December. Most of them cannot be bought, either online or in stores :)

  • Now that my kids are older, letting them get out the Christmas decorations and decorate as they want – even if their decorating would make Martha Stewart cringe.
  • Seeing my son get excited about doing his annual Christmas “job” , which is making covered pretzels.
  • Watching our favorite holiday movies as a family. Elf, A Christmas Story, Its a Wonderful Life, and of course, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer
  • Driving around looking at the lights
  • Going to midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. That was the boys’ idea last year, and we all loved it.  There’s just something magical about midnight on Christmas Eve.
  • The fact that my sons still want to leave milk and cookies out on Christmas Eve, even though they know.

There’s my guide. No gifts. But plenty to warm your heart and help you get in the proper holiday spirit.

My oldest son was recently given some money by his grandfather.  Not much, just $5.  But that was $5 more than he had.  He went to the mall with his $5 bill.  And gave it to the bell ringer outside the mall. Bless that child. Maybe the true spirit of Christmas, the spirit I love and crave, has found its way through the consumerism after all.

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

  • This is getting ridiculous
  • Christmas wishes
  • An unexpected Christmas blessing


    • Add to Technorati Favorites
    New here? Subscribe to Unexpected Bliss or have it delivered via email. add to kirtsy


    Filed Under Family, Me, confessions | 4 Comments 

    4 Responses to “I think I’m over Christmas”

      1
        Some Lucky Dog on December 4th, 2009 4:02 pm

        Blessings to you for your post! You are not the only one. Hubby and I exchanged gifts on Christmas the first year we were married. Since then…we do not exchange gifts at all on Christmas and very seldom on a birthday. What we do instead is buy a surprise gift now and then. Not because there’s a celebration, but because we ran across something that we know the other would love. It’s always a gift from the heart and it means so much more. We have a date night for birthdays and Valentine’s Day, but that’s it. I only buy Christmas gifts for the small ones (grandkids and a few grand-nieces/nephews) and we get 4 or 5 kids to buy gifts for through the Salvation Army. Truly, it is so much more meaningful and less stressful. I’ll be thinking of you at Mass on Christmas Eve at midnight, cause that’s where we’ll be, too :)

      2
        Katherine owlfan on December 4th, 2009 7:35 pm

        For me, while money is somewhat of an object, its really not about that. I really enjoy finding or making something that I just know someone will like. What I really dislike is wandering randomly through stores trying to find something, anything for random family members. I tried, unsuccessfully, to suggest that we only buy gifts for the kids, but was told that everyone else enjoys getting gifts and thinking of the perfect gift. OK, fine, but evidently they don’t do any better at finding the perfect gift for me than I do for them. I would love to go for a system where if I find something that looks good, I’ll get it, if not, I won’t.

        My younger son has almost nothing on his Christmas list, but his big brother has a big list – and of course, being the older he isn’t getting the hand-me-downs, so he actually NEEDS new clothes (boy is growing like a weed at the moment). He’s also getting a rather big gift this year, so I have to find something for the younger son to at least sort of even it up.

        We have at least one more year of early service on Christmas eve – younger son is 5th grade and thus the oldest grade for the pageant – he is Joseph this year. I used to really enjoy midnight service – maybe next year the kids will be old enough to stay up.

      3
        Ghada on December 5th, 2009 5:43 pm

        I am so with you on the things I want being the things I need. Littlie spent the night with the grandparents and it is so bliss this morning just waking up, taking my time and reading through some blogs.
        Well done on you for raising a child that is so giving to share hos $5 bill instead of spending it.
        Happy Holidays :)

      4
        Sheri on December 7th, 2009 12:58 pm

        I don’t really enjoy shopping at all, and thats because I’m always hyper-aware of everything else I need to use that money for. But one thing I do enjoy shopping and paying for is the gifts for the children we pick off the Angel Tree. My kids love that too, I let them each chose an angel and we pick it out. Now that is enjoyable to me, because I know the child getting that gift will really appreciate it.

        I hear you about growing kids. My oldest son had a massive growth spurt, and of course no hand me downs so we’ve had to shop. The youngest gets the hand me downs, except he hasn’t in a size now that his brother must have skipped over, because all the hand me downs are either too small or too big – GRR!

        I also don’t like the newest trend – for my family anyway – instead of me picking out something that I think my niece or nephews will love, I get a “List” from their parents telling me what to get them. I understand the purpose of this, to avoid duplicates, but it does take any fun out of it. Still, it is more fun to shop for a three year old than a 14 year old. I miss toys :)