Bah Humbug...the holidays are here again?

[Makalakumu]

The christmas season approaches and I am carefully guarding my pocket book from the temptation of spending money I don't have to spend. I am probably one of the few people in this country that despises what Christmas has become. I can't stand the commercialism, I loathe the materialism, and I am truly saddened by the way kids learn to make their self centered desires into the most important thing in the world.

As a kid, I didn't have much so toys were never very important for me. More important was spending time with my family and playing with my cousins. I guess that makes me somewhat of an oddity considering all of the hype I'm seeing and its not even Thanksgiving yet.

My daughter will be three this year and she is starting to be interested in Santa. I've thought about telling her that I am Santa and that I become Santa on Christmas in order to give children who are less fortuneate gifts. I will still give my child a few gifts because I love her, but Santa I want to represent charity. I believe that it is important to install a service component to our families Christmas tradition.

Does anyone agree with the above? What do you think of Christmas? What does your family do? Does this make you feel good? What does Christmas mean to you? Do you do anything to incorporate other religious traditions? Are you okay with Christmas as it stands? Is Santa important?

Please join me in this discussion as I attempt to set my holiday priorities.

 

[TonyM.]

I'm right there, lock stock and barrel. Getting the kids involved with things like Toys for Tots is an A#1 plan in my book. Caroling and leaving gifts for the neighbors, police, firemen, mailmen, sanitation workers ect. are great traditions in my book. As for the commercialism, there isn't enough venum left in me to comment on that. It would be a rant without end.

 

[Makalakumu]

As for the commercialism, there isn't enough venom left in me to comment on that. It would be a rant without end.

The average American Family spends over $835.00 dollars during the Christmas season. Some way less, many way way more. And here is the sticker...for many industries, this spending spree keeps them alive and keeps people employed. So, basically, there is no real incentive to make Christmas different. In fact, by choosing not to participate in the orgy of spending and debt, you are hurting others economically...

Our society is what it is.

This really fries me, but I won't let it shape my families beliefs. Perhaps the things I want are old and outdated. Maybe these principles are a thing of a past age. And maybe I'm being selfish for clinging to these things. In the boy scouts, I learned the sacrifice, service, and charity was part of being an American though. Is that part of Americas past? Is spending money to prop up the economy the real meaning of Christmas?

 

[heretic888]

What does Christmas mean to you?

Christian interpolation of a Hellenistic holiday devoted to solar deities.

 

[Makalakumu]

Christian interpolation of a Hellenistic holiday devoted to solar deities.

I knew you'd go there.

 

[heretic888]

I knew you'd go there.

Well, you'd ask what it meant to me.

Honestly, holidays mean very little to me nowadays. I used to love them when I was a little kid, but not so much anymore.

 

[shesulsa]

I'm one of those weird people who allow my children to believe in Santa and the Easter Bunny and I read them traditional fairy tales.

BUT - I follow through with discussion and other action. When we can, we take an item from the giving tree and participate in that. We have begun a family tradition of feeding the homeless on Christmas Morning in downtown Portland. We do community service projects and my daughter (11) has known since she was 9 that there likely is no Santa, so we have told her that Santa is the spirit of making miracles happen, which can only happen in the hearts and through the actions of each one of us.

I think childhood fantasy is important to children. Working things through in imagination as a young innocent is vital to the ability to visualize later and work through the differences between fantasy and reality and, most importanly (IMHO), how to bridge that gap. That can't happen, though without a starting point and guidance from an adult.
I told my daughter once she suspected that Mom and Dad were Santa Claus. I took her to breakfast (just her and I) and explained everything and that the price for the knowledge was that she got to become Santa too. So she now has to help be Santa for her younger brother and keep the secret, and also be Santa for others who might otherwise have no Christmas. At first, she said she felt lied to. Then I explained to her that this is the responsibility of the special present of giving, for it is, indeed, a gift to give. It's like being in a secret club. She really liked that.

Good luck in whatever you choose to do, KyoSaNim. :asian:

 

[Feisty Mouse]

shesulsa - what a great explanation for your daughter!

I have very mixed feelings about the winter holidays. I love going home, spending time with my family. I love the way we can each of us open our stocking if we're up before everyone else, but then we wait for everyone to get up and situated before we open presents. Some years there are more gifts, some years, not so many. But as we get older, it's the joy of giving, rather than the young childhood joy at receiving, that grows.

The hype makes me mental sometimes. It's very easy to feel very lonely during the winter holidays, if you don't have a loving family, or are far away from them, or have little or no money. I get frustruated with myself and my financial issues even more during this time - I *want* to give the people I love as much as I can, and what I can give seems so little. The same for charitable giving. I feel like I should do more - or get a job so I could do more - but I can't, or don't, or both.

We usually have donation-giving around the Thanksgiving/winter holiday season, although I honestly remember to put away more $$ during Lent, since alms-giving is one of the parts of the preparation.

 

[Randy Strausbaugh]

I couldn't help but notice that many of the complaints about the holidays are similar to the complaints many have about the martial arts.

In both, I always say do what you do, believe what you believe, and if others disagree, what the heck. They only have the effect on your world that you allow them to have.

My $.02, duly rendered.