Phew! I am definitely glad that the frenzy of Christmas is over for yet another year. With all of it's seizure-inducing flashing lights, over-the-top inflatable lawn decorations and endless displays of plastic Santas, it was about all I could take this year not to run screaming into the night! Hearing about grandma gettin run over by a reindeer was starting to sound like a good way out!
My rant today is about the extreme high level of commercialization surrounding this holy holiday. This is where I have a huge problem. It's the hoopla and the tinsel and the Las Vegas strip atmosphere. Even the school Christmas program has jumped on the bandwagon with their version of "surfin' Santa." What?? Really? Ugh
Personally, I believe that Christmas should (somehow) remain more dignified and respected. I am a simple person who needs things to be streamlined and less flashy. I recently came across a wonderfully basic template for buying presents;
something to want
something to need
something to wear
and something to read.
I absolutely love this mantra and may put this to good use next year.
Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy singing Jingle Bells and watching our 3 kids open presents on Christmas morning, but it's the small quiet times that I cherish. Listening to Silent Night as it softly snows out my window is priceless. So it is in this same simple thought pattern that I started to place an orange at the toe of our children's stockings. To encourage humility and to remind them that some children may only receive an orange as a present on Christmas morning. This is my way of keeping things in balance. It is the Christmas orange that keeps me from going over the edge!
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