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Thoughts on Christmas....
Dec. 26th, 2008 10:19 am.
I just read a post by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
janissa11 here that I COMPLETELY agree with. She's summarized very well my growing dissatisfaction with Christmas. And she did it in such a way that it helped me to clarify and understand WHY I've been feeling that way.
I'm just going to copy my comment to her post here...
"You have nailed EXACTLY on the head the feelings I've been developing about Christmas over the past few years.
I've been having trouble understanding exactly why I've been feeling this way as I (like the fellow in the article) having nothing but warm and great memories of the Christmas' I grew up with. I loved how he phrased this part for example:
"It has taken me three decades of rigorous economics training and life on the East Coast to shake off the warm nostalgia of those holidays."
"Rigorous economic training" -- hee, I love that categorization of what Christmas has morphed into--commercial materialism.
It's funny--I was watching Charley Brown Christmas the other day for the first time in years. This is a holiday special I grew up with--from the 70s. Even then the whole message was about Christmas turning commercial. I guess, while everyone loved the special, not too many people took it's message as a warning and to heart.
I really like your conclusions here. I don't know if I'm totally up for all homemade gifts--but this year my side of the family went with charitable donations rather than gifts. I don't need more stuff that I won't use.
I received two "gifts" that I liked this year--one was a table-top fountain that I was going to buy for myself but instead let my husband and daughter purchase for me. The second was a handmade bread cutting board my son made for me.
Unfortunately the person who drew my name didn't realize I wanted a charitable contribution--so I didn't get that. I did get $30 of iTunes gift cards--which I WILL use and will like. But it wasn't necessary and I certainly don't need it.
The other thing I received for Christmas this year that I LOVED--was time with my family. We've been snowed in for weeks now (unusual for where I live), and that forced some changes in our Christmas visiting. We had to cancel one that I wasn't looking forward to and instead, I got to spend that evening with my immediate family--just talking and laughing. And we had some neighborhood kids over to make and decorate cookies.
One of the best Christmas Eves I've ever spent.
This comment is way too long. I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your post and the thoughts that are in it."
ETA: I wanted to include the link to the articlejanissa11 linked to in her post. I want to make sure I don't lose that link.
I just read a post by
janissa11 here that I COMPLETELY agree with. She's summarized very well my growing dissatisfaction with Christmas. And she did it in such a way that it helped me to clarify and understand WHY I've been feeling that way.I'm just going to copy my comment to her post here...
"You have nailed EXACTLY on the head the feelings I've been developing about Christmas over the past few years.
I've been having trouble understanding exactly why I've been feeling this way as I (like the fellow in the article) having nothing but warm and great memories of the Christmas' I grew up with. I loved how he phrased this part for example:
"It has taken me three decades of rigorous economics training and life on the East Coast to shake off the warm nostalgia of those holidays."
"Rigorous economic training" -- hee, I love that categorization of what Christmas has morphed into--commercial materialism.
It's funny--I was watching Charley Brown Christmas the other day for the first time in years. This is a holiday special I grew up with--from the 70s. Even then the whole message was about Christmas turning commercial. I guess, while everyone loved the special, not too many people took it's message as a warning and to heart.
I really like your conclusions here. I don't know if I'm totally up for all homemade gifts--but this year my side of the family went with charitable donations rather than gifts. I don't need more stuff that I won't use.
I received two "gifts" that I liked this year--one was a table-top fountain that I was going to buy for myself but instead let my husband and daughter purchase for me. The second was a handmade bread cutting board my son made for me.
Unfortunately the person who drew my name didn't realize I wanted a charitable contribution--so I didn't get that. I did get $30 of iTunes gift cards--which I WILL use and will like. But it wasn't necessary and I certainly don't need it.
The other thing I received for Christmas this year that I LOVED--was time with my family. We've been snowed in for weeks now (unusual for where I live), and that forced some changes in our Christmas visiting. We had to cancel one that I wasn't looking forward to and instead, I got to spend that evening with my immediate family--just talking and laughing. And we had some neighborhood kids over to make and decorate cookies.
One of the best Christmas Eves I've ever spent.
This comment is way too long. I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your post and the thoughts that are in it."
ETA: I wanted to include the link to the article
janissa11 linked to in her post. I want to make sure I don't lose that link. 
