I'm trying to figure out why this is how I feel this Christmas. I'm usually all festive, putting up decorations, buying presents and I have to admit that I LOVE wrapping them and putting fun little bows on top to make them pretty. But this year . . . not so much.
And it's not just me. My husband and son feels the same way.
We didn't even put up our tree until last Monday and we didn't decorate it. No star or angel at the top. No tinsel. No garland. Just little white lights that twinkle in the night. I have to admit that I like the looks of it. Simple. Glowing. Peaceful. That is when it's on at night. During the day, when the lights are off, it's just a blog of green plastic pine needles standing in the corner. What's festive about that?
I did put up the nativity scene. Maybe that's what I'm thinking this year, that I want to be more spiritual, think about the true meaning of Christmas. I have been thinking a lot lately about how lucky I am for the atonement and how grateful I am that the Savior died for me. Things have been tough this year. Our business isn't doing well with the economy like it is. We've gone out less (okay, not at all). Have squandered nothing. Pinched pennies until they resemble those you put through machines that get all squashed. But in all of that, we still find ourselves lucky to have each other, blessed to be a forever family and have a home to call our own. Some people don't even have that.
So, maybe it isn't so much a "Bah Humbug" Christmas as much as it is a time for us to find peace and be thankful for our simple life. To be grateful for the little things and not worry so much about how many presents are under the tree or how full we can pack the kidlet's stocking.
What do you think? Is it okay to minimize the hoopla and festivities for the holidays? Can we still have a good Christmas without all the traditional fluff and commercialized expectations?
I don't think you have the bah humbugs at all, but that you are just appreciating what Christmas should truly be about. I don't think anyone would think anything bad of you for celebrating in your own way. I hope you have a very merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteI think you're probably right, Amy. You have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS too. HUGS
ReplyDeletei think Christmas is BETTER when it's not so commercialized. enjoy the peace and the true meaning of the holiday - you're ahead of most!
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm having a bah humbug Xmas too! I'm afraid we all are, the economic news are so bad, it's so hard for the young to find a job and for the middle-aged and old to keep it!
ReplyDeleteDid you know that there's a trend on Twitter in Spanish which starts with #WhatIHateAboutChristmas? We should start one too!
But you've got the RIGHT answer: stick to simple pleasures and straightforward, unadorned love! Presents and tinsel not needed! Only Love and Friendship permitted!
I'm new toyour blog (met you on Goodreads) and I like your site very much. Have a nice Holiday!
Simple pleasures--and time with family and friends. Christmas is best when it's less commercialised and competitive. Now we're all in recession, maybe we've come to realise what really matters. Things mean very little. Family is everything.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely family time and thank you for following.
This is going to sound weird, but one of my favorite Christmases in the past was, believe it or not, right after my parents got divorced. I moved to Utah with my mom and younger sister. We had nothing in the way of money, but we had each other, and we had the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was simple, yet I think I felt the true spirit of the holiday more than any other time in my life. Sometimes, it takes challenges to make us step back and appreciate the most important things in life.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Christine! Thanks again for reminding me it's the simple things that matter.