Now, I'm going to confess something: We are living in a material world ... and I am a material girl.
I shouldn't be. I know that there are many, MANY things in this world that are better than what money can buy. ... But, sometimes, I just feel a little bad that I don't have a trust fund/money tree/ something.
Right now, I've done NO Christmas shopping. Because we haven't had the money to do so.
And I HATE not giving gifts. I love to give gifts. Giving gifts at Christmas makes me happy. If I were in a financial situation to do so, I'd spoil my family.
And, at this moment, since I can't do that, I feel a little down ... and not very Christmas-sy at all.
Which is really stupid. I mean, did Jesus come to earth to give everyone a gift card? I think not. He didn't come to give material legacies. And, therefore, I shouldn't feel like a loser because i don't know what to get for my grandfolks, parents, and nieces and nephew ... let alone for Michael (Though, really ... for him? I have a very easy, inexpensive option. Hurr hurr. <-- Michael, you didn't read that. And if you did, just act surprised if that's all I get you.)
I'm having a little trouble finding a quick, easy solution to this dilemma of feeling a bit Scrooge-like and off this Christmas season. (Every other year, I've HOPPED to on the day after Thanksgiving to crank up the Christmas tunes, since Michael is STAUNCHLY against Christmas music before Thanksgiving's over. Every other year, you can find me gearing up for decorating and getting a tree put up and gifts bought [and wrapped sometime before Christmas morning] ... But this year? I know that it's only three days into December ... but I'm ... just not feeling it so much. And it kills me. I know that, yeah, most of my music is on that other hard drive ... but i might have a good chunk backed up on the external. So, perhaps tomorrow, after I install the new hard drive and get it running, I'll be able to crank up the Christmas tunes. And, if I can't get them playing THAT way, I do have Pandora or last.FM, which would work. ...)
So ... I am asking, what are you doing/what do you do to feel the Christmas spirit?
What are some favorite Christmas songs? (I, personally, prefer the less secular ones. I know, I'm a snob. I put up with Rudolph, Frost, and the Chipmunks for the kids' sake. Snoopy, at least, has that whole "Peace on Earth" message. But, if I'm listening to Christmas music, I want to hear about Baby Jesus ... or, at least, about that warm feeling inside. And if you try and tell me to listen to "Christmas Shoes, " I will give you the TEACHER LOOK that I've perfected by student-teaching and being a mother.
THIS is that look, as done by Tommy Lee Jones:
I don't want to give that look. Please don't make me give that look.
(FYI: Other "Christmas" songs that will incur that look are "Last Christmas" by Wham! and ... oh, I don't remember, since I've spend the last 330-or-so days trying to rid it from my brain. And, for the present moment, it's seemed to have worked. Thanks be. Let's not mention those songs. Let's do pretend that they've never existed.)
But, please, please, PLEASE -- Give me some good ideas of things that I can do to get out of this funk (this funk that I can only hope to attribute to that evil ***** Mother Nature. [Dear Mother Nature, I hate you. Stop making me a crazy, heinous witch every month. Stop making me be all bloated and overly-sensitive. Also, if it's going to be this FRAKKIN' COLD, let it snow. just enough to make a snowman. Thank you. Sincerely, me.])
Here are the things that I HAVE done:
- drank chocolate-mint Rooibos tea (YUM. Dianne, you have awesome friends. Since they are how I ever learned that such a wonderful creation exists.)
- Set up the Nativity scenes that I have -- my Playmobil one, my Calico Kittens one, and the kids Little People one.
- let the kids watch "Frosty the Snowman" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."
- Put up TWO Advent calendars (so what it we used one last year ... it's about the NATIVITY. So it should totally be used again!)
- I sat and sang some songs with the kids. But they weren't very amenable to that. Impatient little hellions. (Good thing I mostly love them, right?)
- I've talked to the kids about WHY we celebrate Christmas.
- I'm gearing up for St. Nicholas' Day ... Dec 6. Put out your shoes!
- We're going to go to the Community Nativity Festival this weekend. (If you're in the area, you should totally go. Seriously.)
- In our town, there'll be a parade, lighting of the community Christmas tree, and a concert on Saturday.
I mean, I have some good things to do to help me get into gear. I even plan on making some cookies for our neighbors. Even the ones that we haven't really met. Who is going to be sad to receive cookies? It should be a good thing, right? I hope.
But, really, if you have some secret formula for feeling all warm, fuzzy, and full of Christmasosity, pass that knowledge on my way. I'd appreciate it.
2 comments:
so this may be corny, but we do it every year. I try so hard to teach my kids about giving and not getting so we make a Christmas tree made of paper and paint it. Then each night at scripture study we have a paper present where we write someone's name and a service we did for that person that day. We have been doing it since Sariah was 2...talking about making beds, laying out PJ's, anything small and simple we do for others. This always brightens up out home and season.
The fastest and best way to get the christmas spirit is through showing love to someone else. Do service for others, and never feel like you're done, that you've fullfilled some nonexistent quota. Try to attain the pure love of Christ, and just help people feel food. You don't need to give presents. It could be completely free. Maybe it's time. Maybe it's just a listening ear. It depends on the person. The best gift is the gift of yourself, just as the only thing we can give our Heavenly Father and Savior is our will, because everything else comes from them anyway. Our will is the only thing that's truly our own.
Read the New Testament, especially the Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John--the life of the Savior, and don't forget about the Christmas story in The Book of Mormon. I think people tend to forget there is one there.
Remember, the Christmas spirit is not in the weather. You don't need to be freezing and it doesn't need to be snowing to have feel like Christmas! I live and born in the Phoenix area, so I never made the connection between the cold and Christmas. I know first hand you don't need it to feel Christmasy. After all, the weather in Phoenix at Christmas time was much more like how it was on the Savior was born anyway! What's the big deal about a "white Christmas" anyway?
Just remember that the Christmas spirit is the spirit of Christ. The Christmas spirit, if you really think about it,is The Holy Ghost--the third member of the Godhead. If The Holy Ghost is your constant companion, you should have the Christmas spirit!
Good luck, amd Merry Christmas to you!
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