We are halfway through the month of December, and a mere 11 days away from what has (sadly) become the most commercialized holiday of all.....Christmas. I for one have been relishing in the carols, the lights, the decorations, and the overall festive nature of the season. I find it's almost hard to be in a bad mood with the sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas everywhere I go. For instance, every night when I turn the corner onto my street it makes me smile to see our house aglow with lights, and baking cookies also is so much more enjoyable with Dean Martin crooning "White Christmas" in the background. And what is it about that tree in the living room that makes me feel so peaceful?
Yes, most of us out there are in full Christmas mode, which I imagine means different things to different people. And while this time of year is wonderful for so many things, it also brings up a lot of things which can be not so wonderful as well.
Since before Thanksgiving we have been bombarded by advertisements from all sorts of different media encouraging us to get out there and spend, spend, spend. To make us feel better about all the spending, these advertisements don't neglect to remind us that we will also be saving, saving, saving. Blowout sales, Black Friday, one-day-only sales, every day I get something in the mail related to shopping. And I have done my fair share of shopping this month, in fact I still have more to do. Because Christmas is after all the season of giving. The problem for a lot of us is that we don't know when to stop giving, or we worry that if we don't give enough we will be looked down upon in some way. Gifts for family, friends, coworkers, students, the list goes on and on and bill keeps getting higher and higher. I'm not trying to discourage buying gifts for the people we care about, but this time of year it seems we are under so much pressure to give something to every person we have ever known in our entire lives. To give or not to give becomes the ultimate question of the month.
Then there's the guilt factor. And not just the guilt that comes with forgetting to buy a gift for someone, but the guilt we feel about not being able to donate to all the much needed and much appreciated charities. I know they say that every little bit helps, but after you have given a little bit to every toy drive, canned food drive, and donation box, that little bit has turned into a lot. I for one am happy to give to these wonderful missions, in fact I wish I was better at doing it year-round, but sometimes it's just too much. This is where the guilt kicks in. Not enough that I lose sleep over it, but enough to drain me a little bit each time I leave a store without dropping something in the charity box.
Believe me, I'm not trying to be down on Christmas. There are so many wonderful things associated with this holiday and so many great traditions to share with family and loved ones. I guess sometimes I get discouraged because, like so many people before me have stated, the true nature of the season gets lost and before we know it Christmas is over and we're not even really sure why we were celebrating in the first place. Many times during this month I feel a bit like Charlie Brown, wondering if someone can please remind me what Christmas is all about.
So yes. There are a lot of outside stresses that come along with Christmas. Every year we strive to create that perfect holiday experience for ourselves and our families, to give the perfect gifts to those that we know and love, to create an arsenal of perfect memories. But beyond perfection, I hope we all take some time for inward reflection. Some time to remember the reason for the holiday. No matter our differing religious views, we all understand the importance and the purpose of love in our lives. Love for our friends, our families, and for those who might be less fortunate than us.
If nothing else, take the time to appreciate the love. It will last a lot longer than some of those presents sitting under the tree.
So yes. There are a lot of outside stresses that come along with Christmas. Every year we strive to create that perfect holiday experience for ourselves and our families, to give the perfect gifts to those that we know and love, to create an arsenal of perfect memories. But beyond perfection, I hope we all take some time for inward reflection. Some time to remember the reason for the holiday. No matter our differing religious views, we all understand the importance and the purpose of love in our lives. Love for our friends, our families, and for those who might be less fortunate than us.
If nothing else, take the time to appreciate the love. It will last a lot longer than some of those presents sitting under the tree.
No comments:
Post a Comment