The True Meaning of Christmas
Christmas comes but once a year, but you'd think from the hype surrounding it, it's the biggest thing since sliced bread. In Columbus, the nativity scene on Broad Street downtown goes up, Sunny 95 plays continuous Christmas music from the day after Thanksgiving onward, and the lights begin to appear on houses around town. Nutcracker posters go up. The airwaves are full of "Christmas Spirit", "Christmas Memories", and "All I Want For Christmas." The Salvation Army appears with their red buckets, giving trees pop up in every shopping mall, and we are reminded daily that the true meaning of Christmas is Buy! Buy! Buy! because, after all, we don't want the economy to go into the toilet, do we?
The stores are full of people. There are lines twenty people deep at the post office, and lines at the checkout counters as the average modern-day American puts him or herself further into debt to buy the latest craze. Clothes are tried on, discarded. Toys litter the aisles. Children scream and adults grumble while canned Christmas music plays in the background. I have no statistics, but I imagine the level of stress the average adult is under during the Christmas holidays triples from normal. Christmas isn't a joyful time of year anymore; it's an annual review, a dressing-down by your boss, and going to work in jeans only to find out you forgot about an important board meeting all rolled into one. Families bicker, children are dazzled by new toys they'll discard in a week, and parents are run ragged trying to create happy Christmas memories for their children come hell or high water.
In my mind, Christmas should be hot chocolate, steaming cups of tea, fudge, Christmas carols on the radio, a blazing fire to snuggle up in front of, a pancake breakfast, not getting dressed until noon, sugar cookies with that great icing, chocolate crinkle cookies and molasses crinkles, laughter, love, quality time with family or friends, snow, sledding, the smell of pine, twinkling lights, Honeybaked Ham, presents, a surprise gift from a friend in the mail, doing something nice for someone else, caroling, midnight Mass, having a wrapping paper fight, stockings, saying "Merry Christmas" or "Have a Happy Holiday" and meaning it, decorating the tree, Christmas cards, tinsel, forgiveness, healing, and happiness.
Even if you celebrate Yule or Hanukah or Kwanzaa, (or any of the others) there's no reason to be stressed about the season. Become an example to your friends, family, and children by being true to yourself over Christmas, not true to the commercialism that has invaded what should be a joyful holiday. Be happy!
And have a Merry Christmas.
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Tips for stress-free Christmas shopping and some last-minute gift ideas...
--Take the morning off work and go to the mall as soon as it opens. Tuesday mornings are great for this. Don't ask me why, but I've gone to the mall on more than one occasion to find it completely empty. Note: This does not work as well for weekends.
--Bake something, or make something for the people left on your list. Package the dry ingredients of cookie or brownies, write up the directions, and voila! the perfect gift for the person on your list who can't seem to figure out baking.
--Yes, Gift Certificates are one way to go, but why go with the same old department stores? If someone on your list has just bought a house, a gift certificate to Lowes or another home improvement store might be very appreciated!
--Great small gifts are Christmas ornaments. You can never have enough Christmas ornaments. Honest.
--If you know someone is getting a DVD player for Christmas, buy them a DVD. Or a digital camera, buy them accessories. Practical things do have their place.
--Another good idea; soup mixes. Package them in jars, and decorate them with bits of ribbon and dried fruit.
Christmas comes but once a year, but you'd think from the hype surrounding it, it's the biggest thing since sliced bread. In Columbus, the nativity scene on Broad Street downtown goes up, Sunny 95 plays continuous Christmas music from the day after Thanksgiving onward, and the lights begin to appear on houses around town. Nutcracker posters go up. The airwaves are full of "Christmas Spirit", "Christmas Memories", and "All I Want For Christmas." The Salvation Army appears with their red buckets, giving trees pop up in every shopping mall, and we are reminded daily that the true meaning of Christmas is Buy! Buy! Buy! because, after all, we don't want the economy to go into the toilet, do we?
The stores are full of people. There are lines twenty people deep at the post office, and lines at the checkout counters as the average modern-day American puts him or herself further into debt to buy the latest craze. Clothes are tried on, discarded. Toys litter the aisles. Children scream and adults grumble while canned Christmas music plays in the background. I have no statistics, but I imagine the level of stress the average adult is under during the Christmas holidays triples from normal. Christmas isn't a joyful time of year anymore; it's an annual review, a dressing-down by your boss, and going to work in jeans only to find out you forgot about an important board meeting all rolled into one. Families bicker, children are dazzled by new toys they'll discard in a week, and parents are run ragged trying to create happy Christmas memories for their children come hell or high water.
In my mind, Christmas should be hot chocolate, steaming cups of tea, fudge, Christmas carols on the radio, a blazing fire to snuggle up in front of, a pancake breakfast, not getting dressed until noon, sugar cookies with that great icing, chocolate crinkle cookies and molasses crinkles, laughter, love, quality time with family or friends, snow, sledding, the smell of pine, twinkling lights, Honeybaked Ham, presents, a surprise gift from a friend in the mail, doing something nice for someone else, caroling, midnight Mass, having a wrapping paper fight, stockings, saying "Merry Christmas" or "Have a Happy Holiday" and meaning it, decorating the tree, Christmas cards, tinsel, forgiveness, healing, and happiness.
Even if you celebrate Yule or Hanukah or Kwanzaa, (or any of the others) there's no reason to be stressed about the season. Become an example to your friends, family, and children by being true to yourself over Christmas, not true to the commercialism that has invaded what should be a joyful holiday. Be happy!
And have a Merry Christmas.
Tips for stress-free Christmas shopping and some last-minute gift ideas...
--Take the morning off work and go to the mall as soon as it opens. Tuesday mornings are great for this. Don't ask me why, but I've gone to the mall on more than one occasion to find it completely empty. Note: This does not work as well for weekends.
--Bake something, or make something for the people left on your list. Package the dry ingredients of cookie or brownies, write up the directions, and voila! the perfect gift for the person on your list who can't seem to figure out baking.
--Yes, Gift Certificates are one way to go, but why go with the same old department stores? If someone on your list has just bought a house, a gift certificate to Lowes or another home improvement store might be very appreciated!
--Great small gifts are Christmas ornaments. You can never have enough Christmas ornaments. Honest.
--If you know someone is getting a DVD player for Christmas, buy them a DVD. Or a digital camera, buy them accessories. Practical things do have their place.
--Another good idea; soup mixes. Package them in jars, and decorate them with bits of ribbon and dried fruit.
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