There were two undeniable Christmas traditions in our household. Sometime during the run-up to Christmas, we have to watch The Muppet’s Christmas Carol, Frosty the Snowman, and Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer and sing along in loud and lusty voices.
And now invariably, sometime in the mad rush to Christmas past, I turn into Scrooge and want to cancel Christmas. In our family, this became something of a betting matter: what day will we curtail or cancel Christmas?
I used to love Christmas as a kid. I remember shopping with my saved allowance in discount stores and finding wonderful treasures, confident that whatever I gave would be just the right thing.
I remember, as I got older, making things, drawing Christmas cards, spending hours wrapping gifts so each wrapping reflected the receiver of the gift. I remember going Christmas shopping with my Dad when he bought my Mom’s present. My Mom, always prepared, had usually visited the stores a few days earlier so the merchant knew exactly what to suggest when my Dad came in.
I remember, too, all the visiting friends and relatives stopping over. Customers dropped stopped right before Christmas, just to stand about and chat and wish everyone Christmas cheer. And there usually seemed to be some of that floating around, as well.
It seemed like there was all the time in the world.
Maybe there was all the time in the world back in the 70’s and 80’s. Or maybe it was just a child’s perspective. But, surely, now things move way too fast. I think of Christmas now and I shrink from the furious pace to get all the things done in time for the big day.
There are too many gifts to buy; too many stores and too many crowds to shoulder your way through to buy those gifts. It seems to be a time to throw money at things, because you have to have the perfect gift and time is running out. There is the juggling of who is going to go where as family politics play out.
When I was a child, Christmas seemed to have meaning. Now I inevitably become discouraged by the commercialism of Christmas. I remember my last Christmas parade with the kids, hoping I secretly I was still eight years old. I remember the fun we had going to the parade when the kids were small, when the floats widened their eyes, and Santa’s arrival meant magic was in the air.
Maybe I am just getting too old. I still like the marching bands and the clowns but was sorely disappointed in the floats. To me, it is all about product placement. Ronald McDonald on the McDonald’s float, polar bears, and penguins on the Coke float. Does this bother anyone, besides me, that creatures from two opposite poles are hanging out on a Christmas float? Mickey and Minnie Mouse were there, compliments of the Disney, and, of course, Barbie made her appearance. It was all one big shopping spectacle.
I am going to try very hard this year not to critique Christmas, even though I hate shopping. This year is also different as I have lost both my parents in the last eighteen months; my mom is September. My spirit is waning but that will rebound with time.
So, I am going to try and keep the spirit of Christmas, the way we did when I was a kid. I’ll live it vicariously through the next generation. The grand kids. I’ll also try to remember it is about giving and that we are damned lucky to be able to give and share. We are truly blessed. I just have to remember that embracing the true spirit of Christmas is Keeping Life Current.
