People often mention that I come off a little scrooge-ish when it comes to the holidays. I don't like to decorate, I hate all the clutter associated with the holidays and I hate spending money on things that just aren't necessary. Sure some of the holiday stuff is really cute and I'd like to have it if I had disposable income coming out of my you-know-what, but I just can't justify it. Not only that, but I just don't find joy in it. Some people do, and that's fantastic, but it's just not my thing.
I find too often that during the holiday season people get borderline obsessed with "things". That perfect gift, that certain wrapping paper, the tree looking just so. I see people trample over one another to grab the hottest electronic of the season and I see families fight because a child knocked over a fancy Christmas vase or wouldn't stop touching the expensive ornaments on the tree. It's all just stuff, yet people are willing to cause people physical harm over it. Why? It's just stuff. People constantly boast about "the true meaning of Christmas", but very few actually live it. There is a balance where you can do both, I've seen it with my own eyes, but very few people pull it off.
I know for a fact I wouldn't be able to pull it off, hence the reason I don't participate much at all. I don't want the "stuff" to consume our lives. I don't want to build sheds or cram our attic full of "stuff" just to store decorations that get used one month out of the year. I don't want to panic every time the kids get too close to the tree because they might break something. I don't want to stress that I didn't get something someone really wanted for Christmas when we already are blessed with so much. It's too easy to be consumed by materialistic things. It seems like the holiday season just embodies that for so many people.
So my goal is to raise our children to have an understanding of the true meaning of Christmas. For us, that means the birth of Jesus Christ. It means looking back on the year and remembering all the blessings we had. It means ending the year together with plans and dreams for the future. Yes, it also means a few gifts and other common holiday traditions, but I want that to be the added bonus, not the root of it all.
So call me a Scrooge if you must. It's far from what I'm attempting to do though. If anything, in the story of Scrooge, I'd say I'm more like Bob Cratchit. Just a mild-mannered person dedicated to my family that wants everyone to be happy, healthy and loved. Everything else is just a bonus.
