Christmas Bells Will Be Ringing
Posted: Tuesday, September 23, 2008
by Susan Thom
Every year, it seems the general public, encouraged by the shopping stores and malls, begin to shop for Christmas earlier and earlier. Halloween and Thanksgiving seem to take a back seat to the Christmas rush, and people trying to get done early. There was a time that my list was heavier than the packages. There must have been 30 or 40 names I had to buy for. It eventually became too expensive, with 15 nieces and nephews, 5 siblings and their spouses, parents, aunts, neighbors, and anyone else I could think of. I had to narrow it down to my immediate family, and I must say, there isn't as much pressure going Christmas shopping as there once was.
Things sure do change. I remember taking a few hours and going through Toys R' Us with the list of dreams of 3 little kids. A mortgage payment later, I was loading up the van. Then, it was off to the malls, probably 3 times, to buy for all those relatives, friends, and neighbors. That took up most of the next payment! This chain of events had me so nervous at Christmas, I didn't enjoy it at all. My whole family room used to be covered in wrapped boxes, to the delight of my little ones' eyes. I tried to wrap as I shopped so I wouldn't have so many at once. Then, I realized, this was causing us financial ruin! And there was no enjoyment.
I spoke with my siblings, and we stopped exchanging gifts. Now, it was just our kids, and my partner. So much better. No more friends, no more neighbors, no more 15 nieces and nephews, and 11 adults. We get together to enjoy each other's company, and to remember Christ was born, and we all stay out of debt for the next year. And I don't have to wrap a hundred or more presents. I no longer get nervous when this time of beat the clock comes around. It's a comforting feeling since we no longer break the bank. Jesus' birth should be the first thing on our minds, not what we're going to buy for Shirley, the hairdresser.
I had a tradition that the kids were always a part of, and that was, when I put the manger up, I hid the baby Jesus, then when the kids were asleep, I put him in His cradle, and when they woke up on Christmas morning, the first thing I had them do was go to the manger, make sure Jesus was born, and they would say, "Happy Birthday Jesus." Next thing, all the hours of wrapping would be in the garbage bag I was holding. Now, that's a business, you sell a product that you know is going to be thrown away. Now, my two older kids are in their twenties, so there will be no more lego sets, which I used to love, or games, puzzles, army men, vehicles for the army men, dollhouses, or horse farms that my oldest would play with for hours.
Gone are all the boxes the toys were strapped into, making it very difficult to get them free. Gone are the fifty or so presents around the tree. However, there is my family, and we will celebrate with great relief and happiness this year. Our focus will be on how good God has been to us all, and we will give thanks for being able to get together and enjoy each other. Christmas doesn't have to be all about presents and wrappings and making sure you got the right gift for someone. That's fun for a lot of people, but Jesus in His cradle is the most important part, and sharing the love He wants us to share with our family, doesn't come with a price tag.
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Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)I enjoyed reading this article Susan. Especially the part about hiding the child Jesus and then putting him in his cradle on Christmas Day. Happy birthday Jesus not Santa ClausPlease log in to respond to this comment.hi david,thanks for reading and responding.yes, my favotite decoration is a santa, bowing to the baby Jesus in His manger.i know there are many who like the hustle and bustle, but i like enjoying family and friends, and rejoicing in Jesus' birth.all my best to you,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
Hi Susan what a joy to arrive back off holiday - sit down, relax and read your article. I too am not fussed on the hustle and bustle at this time, so therefore tend to avoid this by planning ahead. Already have a list of to-do things prepared as we speak. An early "Happy Christmas" to you - now to tick this off my list.Please log in to respond to this comment.hi kacy,i'm happy you chose to read my article, and respond.i have found that the more simple the celebration, the more at ease and happier everyone is. and nobody is thinking about 1/2 of next year's salary going to toys that have already been tossed aside.i hope all is well,my best,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
Hi Susan--thanks for this timely message. I am beginning to hear the commercials and I am seeing the stores rearrange their shelves to make room for the season. We draw names and put a spending limit. Our biggest thing is getting together, staying up all night and we all look forward to Art making his traditional Christmas breakfast!!! Yummy--I'm getting hungry!God and family are most important and those who believe should be celebrating the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus everday anyway :-) many hugs and smiles, tPlease log in to respond to this comment.hi t,thanks for reading and responding. it would be nice if some of the commercialism of Christmas could be avoided.the stores make all their money during this season, but you never hear religious christmas songs or see Jesus anywhere around. if we were all honest, we'd probably admit that getting presents is what they look forward to.i'll be watching Jesus of Nazareth.my best,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
Hi Susan.Nice article! I needed something to take my mind off the world of economics! Of course you do realize you are advocating an economic revolution here!MissingPlease log in to respond to this comment.hi missing,yes, I do.hallmark, jc penneys, sears, wal-mart, home depot, malls, but they've been taking my money for years. money i didn't have, but their ads and commercials kept pushing me to think i had to participate. no more, we still exchange gifts, just scaled down so they all fit in one room!thank you for reading and responding,i do appreciate it,best regards,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
Hi Sue.You are right. Celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ should not be stressful. Great article.Dianne (p.s. no need to respond to this)Please log in to respond to this comment.hi diane,thank you for reading and responding.i like how you put it, "celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ should not be stressful."it's not Jesus who wanted all the hype and all the money spent that we really don't have, all the wasted wrapping paper and tags and ribbons. sounds like we're celebrating OUR lives, not Jesus'.my best to you,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
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