Yep, the holiday season is upon us...there's a bite in the winter air, traffic is getting worse and stores are flooded with crazy shoppers scurrying around to find the perfect gifts for people on their lists. Call me Scrooge, but it seems to be taking me longer each year to get into the Christmas spirit. Since Benjamin and I will be traveling, we opted out of a tree and instead decided to decorate the fireplace mantle. The scent of fresh garland and cinnamon, hanging stockings and lights definitely help me feel more festive. Don't get me wrong...it's not that I don't enjoy the holiday season, I just sometimes get annoyed at how commercialized it's become. For the past couple years, I've pleaded with my family to refrain from gift giving. I thought I had them convinced this season...until I called my sister last week and she reluctantly informed me that we are in fact exchanging gifts (and "Oh no! What are we going to get everyone??") We go through this every year - trying to figure out what to give our family members is quite a daunting task because the reality is, we don't NEED anything! We should all be thankful for what we have, which is a lot - good health, food on the table, a roof over our heads and a loving family. I think next year I will propose that we get gifts for needy families instead of each other. My company is participating in the Family Giving Tree and there are so many people out there who are asking for warm clothes and grocery store gift certificates. It breaks my heart to think about how some families can't even afford to stay warm or have a decent meal and here we are stressing about what to get each other. I hope we all take a moment this holiday season to think about the non-materialistic things in our lives that we are grateful for.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
'Tis the Season
Yep, the holiday season is upon us...there's a bite in the winter air, traffic is getting worse and stores are flooded with crazy shoppers scurrying around to find the perfect gifts for people on their lists. Call me Scrooge, but it seems to be taking me longer each year to get into the Christmas spirit. Since Benjamin and I will be traveling, we opted out of a tree and instead decided to decorate the fireplace mantle. The scent of fresh garland and cinnamon, hanging stockings and lights definitely help me feel more festive. Don't get me wrong...it's not that I don't enjoy the holiday season, I just sometimes get annoyed at how commercialized it's become. For the past couple years, I've pleaded with my family to refrain from gift giving. I thought I had them convinced this season...until I called my sister last week and she reluctantly informed me that we are in fact exchanging gifts (and "Oh no! What are we going to get everyone??") We go through this every year - trying to figure out what to give our family members is quite a daunting task because the reality is, we don't NEED anything! We should all be thankful for what we have, which is a lot - good health, food on the table, a roof over our heads and a loving family. I think next year I will propose that we get gifts for needy families instead of each other. My company is participating in the Family Giving Tree and there are so many people out there who are asking for warm clothes and grocery store gift certificates. It breaks my heart to think about how some families can't even afford to stay warm or have a decent meal and here we are stressing about what to get each other. I hope we all take a moment this holiday season to think about the non-materialistic things in our lives that we are grateful for.
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2 comments:
My sister Cristina does the same thing every year, except she tries to convince us all to do a family donation to charity instead of buy gifts, Unfortunately, some of us enjoy christmas shopping too much for that... However perhaps a good way for you to give them something, yet also satisfy your desire to help those in need, is to give presents in the form of donations in their name. You could essentially give them an IOU or "gift certificate" for a donation of $X (whatever you'd spend on them anyway) to a charity of their choice. Most people mean to give through out the year but don't ever seem to get around to, so this way you're helping alleviate their guilt, too ; )
I participated in the Family Giving Tree's volunteer program for the second year in a row, and this year I brought along a few friends. It's such a great organization! I saw a big [your company's name] banner in the warehouse. :)
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