This is the time of year when I usually go on a rant about the commercialism and demotion of this holiday.
I'm not talking Turkey.
Thanksgiving is a truly American Holiday and I love it!
I'm of course talking about Christmas.
I've decided that the only way to stay calm and cheerful is to:
1. Stay out of the shopping malls.
2. Don't read the sales flyers.
3. Hold on to thankfulness from Thanksgiving. Thankfulness = Joy.
Please, can we just skip all the gift giving involving money? It has gone from cheerful to obsessive to obligatory.
What matters most?
Can we get back to celebrating the birth of Christ without commercialism?
I guess I went on a rant after all.
5 comments:
That's great stuff, Mrs. W!!
I agree with you! The shopping is getting out of hand.
Call me wierd but I actually ENJOY buying gifts for our extended family and kids. Maybe it's because we have a smaller family and no one really expects anything extravagant but I find it's fun to get them each something that I know they've been wanting but haven't been able to get for some reason or another. I always wish I could do more. As for the kids, we've kept it simple since they were born so I think that has curbed their expectations.
But you are right in that the point is celebrating Christ's birth. That should be the focal point of the celebration. The world doesn't get it and are therefore missing out on so much joy. But I don't have to let their commercialism ruin my enjoyment. It always helps us to go to a Christmas Eve service (Willow Creek near our house has a good one every year) and then before we open gifts on Christmas day, the kids read through the Christmas story. We've found that that helps a lot in keeping our focus on Him.
I love this time of year. The Christmas music, cards and letters letting me know what's happening in friends' lives, parties, food :-), time with family, etc. It just takes a really conscious effort to simplify and keep our focus on the true meaning of Christmas. But we can do it!
Mostly I just hate those huge blow-up Christmas decorations!
One of our neighbors puts up about 10 every year! No joke!
I love searching for the simple amidst all of the chaos. When all of the shopping, traffic, and stress surrounding the holiday are removed, the true meaning of Christmas always remains.
I agree! I've decided to bake for my family for Christmas and give them each a framed picture. It's enjoyable and simple and I don't have to spend alot of time at the stores feeling pressured to spend more than I should.
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