I’ve Got That Holiday Spirit!

Well, last week at this time, we were still digesting that Thanksgiving turkey, and all of a sudden, here we are, just three weeks away from Christmas! My, my where has this year gone?

I am usually running around frantically, trying to decide what I need to buy, and for whom, and spending waaaaay too much cash on it. (Yes, I shop with cash. No sense in paying for a gift twice because I used a credit card.) And buying things that people really do NOT need, because I feel that it is an obligation to do so. But this year, it’s different.

Yes, I am buying gifts, and even making a few. And yes, I still want to buy presents for those that I love, and those close friends who mean so much to me. But, I have a different attitude about it this year…… Maybe it is because I am a little older, (but I am NOT old, by any means,) or maybe it is because of the way the economy has been this year, and that I know folks are struggling, and could probably use a gift card for groceries better than another blue sweater, or some gag gift.

This year, I asked for lists from my grown children. I always do, so that I can get an idea of what they want or need. I am very close to both of my daughters, but, since they do NOT love with me anymore, I don’t know what is in their wardrobe, or their cupboards, for that matter. But, I asked them to think about their lists, and to write down things that they wanted, but even more, things that they really needed. One of them got married in June, and I know a few things that they did not get for wedding presents that they need, so that one is relatively easy. The other one lives about an hour from here, and has been living out on her own for a little over two years now, so she pretty much has most of the basic stuff….still, I know that there are things she needs, too.

Anyway, they both responded, and I could tell that they had put some thought into the things that they both asked for. I also have a son-in-law, too, and a probable one, so I had to get ideas for them, too. The lists I got did not disappoint me. They gave me a good idea of how my shopping would go this year. (The secret of asking for lists as early as I do-August- is to give me the chance to shop when I can find things on sale, and not have to spend all that cash in a few short weeks, as I have in the past. It really helps, expecailly if there are any “bigger ticket” items on the lists. And there always is, even from 20 somethings!

I have about two thirds of my shopping done already, just hidden and waiting to be wrapped, (which I plan to tackle after I get through with this blog.) And that makes me very happy. Yes, there are still a few things I am going to get for them, and I have not bought my husband’s gift yet, but I know what I am getting him. He is getting things he needs, too.

I have noticed that for the past few years, the girls have asked me for movies on DVD, and if you know where to look, you can find a bunch that are pretty reasonable. The early list gives me time. And having time, when you start looking in August, and September, sure does save time in November and December, when time seems to just disappear to who-know-where! I just know that there never seems to be enough of it between Thanksgiving and Christmas, for some reason. Its as if the calendar is anxious for the year to be gone, and start all over again. You know what I mean….the first of December rolls around, you blink twice, and it’s Christmas Eve. Where did the month GO?

Well, I am taking the time to reflect on, and enjoy the season this year. I think I have earned it. And even more, I think that way too many of us get so caught up in the festivities and the glitzy ads, that we tend to forget just why we are celebrating this day. I know I am guilty of it, and I will bet, that unless you are dead, or an out and out liar, you are, too.
While there is nothing wrong with giving gifts, and singing carols, and having fun, we tend to stick the birth of our Lord somewhere in the background, and say, “Oh yeah, Him, too.”

When our girls were small, we made a point of telling them the Christmas story, and reading it to them out of the Bible, or through just retelling it, every Christmas. Santa claus came..(still does…they get a gift from him EVERY Christmas, becuase their Mom refuses to grow up! ) But they are both aware of the reason we celebrate this joyous season. And their heads are screwed on pretty good. They have always been involved in the real meaning of Christmas in some way, as well as having fun.

As Christmas gets closer, I will probably get busier; we all do, with goodies to bake, and presents to wrap, and parties to go to. But, this year, I have learned that if I don’t want to go, I can say NO. And I can bake one less applesauce cake, if I choose to, and throw gifts in bags, instead of wrapping tham and handmaking bows for them (although I love doing that.)
In other words, I am enjoying the holiday season, and taking it at my own pace. What good is the holiday season, if you are too busy to look up until it’s over? And then, you’ve missed it. And the whole point of it.

You will see more blog posts from me on this subject between now and December 25. After all, today is only the 6th. But, I urge you to slow down a bit, and take the time to enjoy the holidays this year, and every year. They pass so quickly, it seems a shame to miss them. And the opportunity to connect or reconnect with the reason we celebrate them in the first place….the birth of Jesus. I wish each of you a joyous and blessed Holiday season! Until next time, don’t drink too much eggnog!