Today I find myself very uninterested in Christmas any more. It starts in October with "Lay Away Sales" and doesn't end until all the exchanges are done in January. It seems that the only interest is how the retailers are going to get you to spend money you really don't have for stuff you really don't want or need. Shopping and buying presents is all fine and good, but there needs to be a balance between throwing money at Christmas and enjoying the holiday season with friends and family. It is really about sharing and spending time with those close to you, not so much how much money can you spend on them.
There is nothing on TV but Christmas Hype ads and very little of what Christmas is truly about. They are turning this time of "brotherly love" into a time of pushing and shoving each other around at the mall to get something before someone else gets it and you are left high and dry. Standing in line for hours and rushing to get an insignificant item doesn't really teach the kids that Christmas is something much bigger. I remember when we use to go into the work shop and create all of the gifts for family and friends. Many of these gifts that were made over thirty years ago are still around and being used and enjoyed. Unlike the latest "plastic fantastic" that hype says that the kid must have today and be lost in the box two weeks later.
I saw White Christmas and Holiday Inn come on TV and reminded me of what this season is really about. The miracles of Christmas can still happen with some thought and time spent looking for what is really needed instead of just throwing a volume of stuff at it. The sparkle in a kids eye when they get the one thing that they really wanted, or Mom's happiness just to see a child again after a long absence. These are the things that I think of when I think about Christmas. What is your Christmas going to be this year? ;o)
