the rest of the story
i told you i didn't want it to end like that. you know, with me being a massive grump about the season that 95% of people i know love. here are my "christmas resolutions". it's what i am doing or am planning on working on in my life to get out of this season without a brain hemorrhage...
1. Question your gifting motives. how many people do you buy gifts for actually NEED what you're buying for them. if you buy based on needs...great. if you're buying based on...the fact that it's christmas? it's not, in my opinion, a good enough reason. i don't buy christmas gifts...for anyone! if someone gets a present at christmas - it's sheer coincidence. why don't we gift each other things we NEED...would we not be just as appreciative? an oil change on our car, a cell phone bill paid for, a certificate to clean a friend's house...would these things not mean just as much or do you struggle with not actually having something physical to wrap up and stick underneath the tree? here's something...give someone a goat this christmas...i'm not even joking...actually i'm dead serious.
2. Say no to receiving gifts. This may not change anything. And people will still buy you presents. But try it - you have to start somewhere. Tell your family to take the money that they would spend on gifts that you'd re-gift anyways and purchase food for the food bank...or better yet, encourage the whole family to fill their stockings with recycled paper and take the money they would spend on stocking gifts to ADOPT a family for christmas...buy groceries for them...mittens, scarfs, etc...
3. Slow Down. okay - i'm not so good at this one. my time off is completely booked now. the last two weeks of december are filled with days of friends coming home, 'mom day', driving out to vancouver to spend time with my dad's side of the family, and flying home on the nearly redeye on boxing day. but there will be a couple days in there where i will say no to everything. i have to practice saying no...i'm not very good at it yet and people still don't accept that staying home on christmas day with koda (the dog) and eating an Armstrong Pan-Scrambler is okay. i'll get there someday...you just wait - people will understand.
4.Jesus is still legit. even if He wasn't born on december 25th he is worth praising and celebrating and worshipping. my church schedule doesn't change. and God blesses/gives us stuff so that we can bless/give it to others. i think one of my things is that this isn't just supposed to be a christmas thing. it's supposed to be an all the time thing. so whatever giving, loving, joyful mood you get in when december hits...keep it for the other 11 months of the year. give people gifts of time, love, and things they need when God puts it on your heart to give. it should be a 24-7 thing...not a december thing. and Jesus is the reason for life...not just the season.
5. Give of yourself. whatever that means to you. i think it will mean something different to each person. for me it means...i have a family that won't be a different family when i wake up tomorrow. my family is my family. and they love me...though how they show it is very unique sometimes. the greatest gift i can give most of them is myself. so i will pull on my big girl panties, suck it up and know that giving myself is important, especially to family.
so...have a great christmas season. may it be full of joy, peace and love - family, friends, and quiet times. may God show you were you can bless others through the abundance He has shown you. and may the things that make this season so wonderful to you continue on throughout the year.
.:cort:.
1. Question your gifting motives. how many people do you buy gifts for actually NEED what you're buying for them. if you buy based on needs...great. if you're buying based on...the fact that it's christmas? it's not, in my opinion, a good enough reason. i don't buy christmas gifts...for anyone! if someone gets a present at christmas - it's sheer coincidence. why don't we gift each other things we NEED...would we not be just as appreciative? an oil change on our car, a cell phone bill paid for, a certificate to clean a friend's house...would these things not mean just as much or do you struggle with not actually having something physical to wrap up and stick underneath the tree? here's something...give someone a goat this christmas...i'm not even joking...actually i'm dead serious.
2. Say no to receiving gifts. This may not change anything. And people will still buy you presents. But try it - you have to start somewhere. Tell your family to take the money that they would spend on gifts that you'd re-gift anyways and purchase food for the food bank...or better yet, encourage the whole family to fill their stockings with recycled paper and take the money they would spend on stocking gifts to ADOPT a family for christmas...buy groceries for them...mittens, scarfs, etc...
3. Slow Down. okay - i'm not so good at this one. my time off is completely booked now. the last two weeks of december are filled with days of friends coming home, 'mom day', driving out to vancouver to spend time with my dad's side of the family, and flying home on the nearly redeye on boxing day. but there will be a couple days in there where i will say no to everything. i have to practice saying no...i'm not very good at it yet and people still don't accept that staying home on christmas day with koda (the dog) and eating an Armstrong Pan-Scrambler is okay. i'll get there someday...you just wait - people will understand.
4.Jesus is still legit. even if He wasn't born on december 25th he is worth praising and celebrating and worshipping. my church schedule doesn't change. and God blesses/gives us stuff so that we can bless/give it to others. i think one of my things is that this isn't just supposed to be a christmas thing. it's supposed to be an all the time thing. so whatever giving, loving, joyful mood you get in when december hits...keep it for the other 11 months of the year. give people gifts of time, love, and things they need when God puts it on your heart to give. it should be a 24-7 thing...not a december thing. and Jesus is the reason for life...not just the season.
5. Give of yourself. whatever that means to you. i think it will mean something different to each person. for me it means...i have a family that won't be a different family when i wake up tomorrow. my family is my family. and they love me...though how they show it is very unique sometimes. the greatest gift i can give most of them is myself. so i will pull on my big girl panties, suck it up and know that giving myself is important, especially to family.
so...have a great christmas season. may it be full of joy, peace and love - family, friends, and quiet times. may God show you were you can bless others through the abundance He has shown you. and may the things that make this season so wonderful to you continue on throughout the year.
.:cort:.
Some good thoughts here Cort. Definitely a reminder that the story of materialism is not the one that needs to dominate the season. However, as a slight counter, there is something to be said for generosity of any form, even if it is somewhat habituated. Anything that can cause us to turn our eyes from our own navels on occasion...
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