Christmas Thoughts

I love Christmas. I love the music, the food, the trees, the opportunity to see friends who are home just for the holidays, and the traditions. It’s so great to give presents to friends and family, and to spend time eating, laughing and visiting together. I also find Christmas to have some stress mixed in with the fun though. It can be stressful to find good gifts for the many people on my list, and to get wrapping and card writing done in time. Then getting to all the parties and gatherings can even get a bit hairy. After New Year’s, I will feel poor, and overweight.

Christmas is a time when we value the important things in life, such as family, friendship, peace, love, joy, generosity, and for some of us, the nativity story. Unfortunately, we also spend a lot of time thinking about much less important things at Christmas too, such as ornaments, house wares, electronics, clothing, and toys. Of all the things I bought others for Christmas, and the things I received, how many were items that any of us needed? Let me list a few items: a hand bag, candles, hobby supplies, DVDs, CDs, framed photographs, calendars, a hand held mixer, pyjama pants, pot holders, puzzles, socks, books, electronic memory, and chocolates. Many of these were great presents, but not essential. The watch strap and the black trouser socks I asked for are important for my particular work environment, but not for my general survival. We start taking our decadent lifestyle for granted in North America, and this results in feeling that we need things that we really don’t. For example, yesterday, my boyfriend and I were considering what to go shopping for in the Boxing Day Sales. He said that of the things I had wanted for Christmas, the second thing I needed most was a memory card for my camera. My current card holds only 16MB, which takes 16 default-size pictures. I agreed that I wanted a bigger card, but it was hardly a necessity. Photography in general is a luxury item, never mind updated technology. When I compare what I have to other people, I think that I need more, but when I compare what I have to my concept of say, life in Uganda, or Nicaragua, I have more than plenty.

Most of my friends agree that Christmas is too commercial, but oddly enough, none of us really do anything about it. I hate the malls and all they represent, but I still want to give my friends something more tangible than my time to express my affection for them. Ideally, I would make all the presents I give, but I would need more time and talent for that, and I would still have to buy all the supplies for the presents. I made a few gifts this year, and I think I will make a bigger effort to do more of that next year. One aspect of Christmas that I don’t keep up with is decorations. I have some old wreaths from an aunt that I put around my flat, and I have a tree, but I have no outdoor lights. Lights are pretty, but they are a misuse of electricity to me, and they aren’t related to the people, love, joy or peace that I value at Christmas, so I choose not to conform in that way at this point in my life.

This year I have tried to be more mindful of the little moments of the season. I don’t want to be stressed as I prepare for a gathering, or try to get cards addressed. I want to focus on joy of the holidays, and the people that I have the chance to spend time with. When I find myself feeling hassled about something, I slow down, think about how great it is that it’s Christmastime, and then I smile, and keep going. I hope that you and yours are having a peace- and joy-filled holiday.