Praying For Time-George Michael

...taking a look at materialism...dissecting what this Christmas season means to me and my family...i was reminded of George Michael's "Praying For Time"..."charity is a coat you wear twice a year..." and how that relates to me...spending the last couple of weeks stressing out because it has been slow due to the weather which directly impacts my wallet and my gift-giving/buying abilities...and is this stress undue? foolish? self-inflicted? society's fault? a hall-mark holiday? the brain-child of Macy's? yes. sure. you betcha...so why do we do what we do? why do we go into debt each December? why do we find ourselves awake at 3am stressing out about coming up with enough money to afford Christmas? i can only speak for myself...

...for as long as i can remember Christmas has been a special time at our house...as i am sure it was in many people's homes...as my brothers and i grew older and got part-time jobs we began to get on board with the gift giving...it had never been a source of stress or one-up-man-ship...we were proud to be given the opportunity to get the perfect gift...not just because we spent a lot of money on said gift...or were able to make a dream come true...we gave with love and joy...and we bought gifts for Dad, Mom, James, Scott, Joseph, April, Autumn and Stanley...and as husbands and wives and nephews have joined the family...the Christmas list has become longer, but that's a beautiful thing to me...that is more people to attempt to bring a little joy to...

...now if our joy is solely derived from what we get we will be disappointed...every time...honestly, everyone in my family asks for something for Christmas...plane tickets, exercise equipment, clothes, a computer, help with a bill or a puppy...still haven't got that puppy, but i never walk away from Christmas feeling empty or wishing i hadn't wasted all that money...i am full of joy...i just got to spend time with my family and watch them forget about the ugly and dwell for a few hours on the lovely...and i cherish the gifts given to me...from the Vegas ashtray...to the beautiful framed picture of horses that Katie photographed and framed for me...a silk Elton John tour shirt from my brother and mother...

Every time i look at that 6.00 ashtray i think of my dear friend...and how i love her...and how she picked that up for me...just for me...for me...and as a human that makes me feel good and warm and loved...in as much as the biggest ticket item i have ever gotten from Santa was well-loved and cherished and well-used but doesn't come to mind as quick as the 6.00 ashtray...a gift from the heart is always best...

...so with that thought in mind i try to approach the gift giving part of the holiday season...i try to concentrate on that person and what makes them tick...what they long for...what they need...what they cherish...do i always get the right gift? do i always "nail it"? no. probably not....but i try and i have fun in the attempt and know in my heart of hearts that it isn't so much the gift but the love it was purchased with or made with...

...said all that to say this...Christmas is not just about the gifts...in fact, historically it has been evolving and we modern day Americans would not recognize Christmas 150 years ago...Protestant churches did not have Christmas services...didn't celebrate Christmas...it was a largely Catholic celebration...Rudolph was invented by an ad man at Macy's...and when people say Christmas is about Jesus' birth...i have to laugh because Jesus was born in the spring...Christmas is like just about anything else in the world...it's about what we make it about...if you want to volunteer in a soup kitchen...good for you...if you want to sing in the choir on Christmas day...lovely...if you want to buy the biggest and best of everything because you want to surprise the family you love...great...if you want to bake for days and days and bring lovely sugar-filled treats into the homes of the people you care about...may i please have some...if you want to sit in a dark room and eat Chef Boyardee and watch MTV...have at you...we are Americans...and Christmas as we know it today is a an American holiday...we use the collective last 2 weeks of December to celebrate and thank God for the birth of Jesus...we use it to remember the miracle of the oil that saved the Jews, during Hanukkah...we buy/make/wrap/transport gifts to our friends and family...to bring cheer and love as another year ends and another begins...

...did i spend to much? did i get what i really wanted to get for each person on my list? am i still biting my nails knowing that i need to still go and pick out a few more things, and i hope i find what i am looking for? yes...of course...do i wish money wasn't an issue? yes...but Christmas comes but once a year...and since i have to buy for many people maybe next year i will be wise and start buying gifts in January and buy 2 a month and then by next December i will be done and stress-free...doubtful plus the late-night Wal-Mart trips with Joseph are fun and i wouldn't trade Christmas for anything...well maybe Peace On Earth and Goodwill Towards Men...