Today I happened to be reading an article on FoxNews.com and I thought at first it was going to be another attempt to de-Christmas-ize our society. After reading through the whole article it really made sense to me!
Article
I LOVE this idea. It's so unfortunate that kids today think that Christmas is all about presents! Now, I am by no means a weekly church goer. I usually feel compelled to attend church on Christmas and Easter and an occasional Sunday in between. My biggest excuse for not attending is that I don't want to join a church and then move and have to join another church. I want to buy a house, then become fully invested in my neighborhood and community, including the church. I do, however, greatly value my upbringing and my involvement as a child in our local parish. I grew up Lutheran and I LOVED the Christmas Eve sermon. It was always about a really good story that I knew well since I was a kid. We got to light candles, they would turned off the lights and we would sing Silent Night...one of my all time favorite Christmas carols.
The thought of my son growing up without a soft and loving memory like that really makes me sad. I don't think he necessarily needs to grow up with a memory from church, but a memory that doesn't involve his favorite toy or how many gifts he got to open would be nice!
Since I met my husband and we've started a family, we've already spent a couple Christmas' away from my family back home. We have had to start our own traditions and I'm trying really hard not to create "greedy" ones. For instance, we have had artichokes on Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember! My brother also joined us this year and he provided the Schmidt's Bakery rye bread that gets spread with Cheez Whiz and sprinkled with green olives. I bought some crab legs and we made salmon. I've always made cookies and this year was no exception with the help of my cousin. The food at Christmas time is so special and unique, it's one of my favorite parts of the holidays.
After dinner we sat down with a glass of wine and allowed my son to dive head first into the presents that he had been so patiently waiting for. He opened a few that had clothes and other items, but with the first toy he opened the angst to open more vanished! He couldn't wait to play with the toy and he didn't care if there were others under the tree. I practically had to beg him to open a couple more and then I just gave up. We did get them all opened by the end of Christmas Day, but it started me thinking. Obviously as a child we aren't programed to be gift getting gobblers. One toy was absolutely enough for him. Granted he's two and I'm sure that mindset will change, but does it have to? The dollar amount of the toy may go up, but he doesn't have to be inundated with toys and lights and games, he was perfectly happy with one. I hope to nurture that feeling for as long as I can. I hope that as he grows up he understands that it's not the quality or quantity of the gift, its the relationships you have and the thought behind the gifts that is the true meaning of his tradition.
In true two-year-old fashion for the next three days he asked to open presents, but this time of year I can see how he is confused. A couple weeks before Christmas we always go to my husband's grandmother's house for dinner and he gets a gift there, then we have Christmas, and there is usually some sort of additional family get together where he gets to open presents yet again. Perhaps next year I will just wrap up some empty boxes, or better yet, take his toy apart and wrap the individual pieces, because it's not the item that he's after...it's the actual unwrapping that he craves (how often does mom allow you to rip paper and make a big mess??)
To wrap up my tangent (pun intended), I will say this...family traditions have lasted me much longer than any of my childhood toys. To me, that is what is so special during this season. As we look into the New Year, perhaps we can all start appreciating the smaller things more.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Black "Eye" Friday
My Black Friday Story.
Black Friday is always a conundrum for me. As I grew up, we lived about 80 miles away from any major chain store, so there really wasn't any desire to wake up at 2AM to make it to the stores in time for a good deal. This year, my mom and I looked through the fliers and tried to gauge whether we were going to brave the crowds or not (I've since moved to a big city and the major chain stores are right down the street) I tried to see if there was anything I was willing to get punched in the face for...there really wasn't.
So we slept in, woke up and I made cinnamon rolls, we drank coffee and played with the wee one. We had a very relaxing morning. Around 11:00AM we decided that there were a few things that we thought might be worth the crowds and headed out to the local mall. Our plan was for the husband to drop my mom and I off at the door and then look for a good spot with no hurry. It just so happened that we walked into the right department, found the exact item we were looking for, and it happened to be the last one! My mom also found a few other things she was looking for while I stood in the checkout line. The lines weren't long, there were plenty of staff around to help, people weren't rude, and everyone seemed to be in a pleasant state of mind. This is how shopping should be, not just regular shopping, but Christmas Shopping to boot!
The absolute worst story I heard about this year was that of the man from New York...
This day should have been termed "Black-Eye Friday". Not only do we hear about altercations every year on this day, but someone actually lost their LIFE! And all those people that didn't bother to think about their actions just kept on shopping. There were lines outside the store all day. Wal-Mart didn't even bother to close it's doors to restore order after this mishap. They just kept filing the people right by "Oh, don't mind the man lying on the floor, the Plasma TV's are over there." This just makes me sick to my stomach. I think Christmas has truely lost it's meaning when things like this happen. To think that in this day with the economy down, unemployement up, and everything else going to hell in a hand-basket that people would be able to focus on the more imporatant things like health and life. Unfortunately in America with the mass consumerism we just focus on where we can get our X-box the cheapest. This year, we will exchange gifts, but there will also be a lesson at my house on the 24th. I plan to teach my son about the meaning of peace on Earth and good-will towards man. I'll make sure, as he grows up, that he knows this time of year is about merriment and joy, about giving not receiving, and about family values and recognizing those that we love. In addition, we can have the fun Santa traditions and trimming the Christmas tree, in my house and heart there is room for it all.
So to all that I love, Merry Christmas and I hope we have a better New Year.
Black Friday is always a conundrum for me. As I grew up, we lived about 80 miles away from any major chain store, so there really wasn't any desire to wake up at 2AM to make it to the stores in time for a good deal. This year, my mom and I looked through the fliers and tried to gauge whether we were going to brave the crowds or not (I've since moved to a big city and the major chain stores are right down the street) I tried to see if there was anything I was willing to get punched in the face for...there really wasn't.
So we slept in, woke up and I made cinnamon rolls, we drank coffee and played with the wee one. We had a very relaxing morning. Around 11:00AM we decided that there were a few things that we thought might be worth the crowds and headed out to the local mall. Our plan was for the husband to drop my mom and I off at the door and then look for a good spot with no hurry. It just so happened that we walked into the right department, found the exact item we were looking for, and it happened to be the last one! My mom also found a few other things she was looking for while I stood in the checkout line. The lines weren't long, there were plenty of staff around to help, people weren't rude, and everyone seemed to be in a pleasant state of mind. This is how shopping should be, not just regular shopping, but Christmas Shopping to boot!
The absolute worst story I heard about this year was that of the man from New York...
This day should have been termed "Black-Eye Friday". Not only do we hear about altercations every year on this day, but someone actually lost their LIFE! And all those people that didn't bother to think about their actions just kept on shopping. There were lines outside the store all day. Wal-Mart didn't even bother to close it's doors to restore order after this mishap. They just kept filing the people right by "Oh, don't mind the man lying on the floor, the Plasma TV's are over there." This just makes me sick to my stomach. I think Christmas has truely lost it's meaning when things like this happen. To think that in this day with the economy down, unemployement up, and everything else going to hell in a hand-basket that people would be able to focus on the more imporatant things like health and life. Unfortunately in America with the mass consumerism we just focus on where we can get our X-box the cheapest. This year, we will exchange gifts, but there will also be a lesson at my house on the 24th. I plan to teach my son about the meaning of peace on Earth and good-will towards man. I'll make sure, as he grows up, that he knows this time of year is about merriment and joy, about giving not receiving, and about family values and recognizing those that we love. In addition, we can have the fun Santa traditions and trimming the Christmas tree, in my house and heart there is room for it all.
So to all that I love, Merry Christmas and I hope we have a better New Year.
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