Dedication to My Christmas List
When I googled "last minute Christmas shopping", the search produced 296,000 entries. I did this search because, recently, I've been noticing TV commercials filled with harried shoppers, reminding me to make sure I get things for each person on my shopping list. In the weeks since Thanksgiving, giant billboards have popped up on the sides of buildings and city buses, "BUY BUY BUY!" These ads seem to be telling me not only to purchase the merchandise, but also how to do it. Make sure it's frantic and as stressful as possible. It seems that my relatives and friends will certainly disown me if I mess up this task and end up with nothing in hand on Christmas Eve.
This all leads me to wonder when Christmas became just another checkbox on the To Do List of Life. We seem to have lost the real meaning of the season. I'm not talking about the religious significance, which varies from person to person, but instead the idea of setting aside time to spend with those whom we love most in the world. My Christmas list isn't a series of checked boxes of tasks accomplished; it's a list of people for whom I've thoughtfully chosen items which I believe will show them that they were on my mind for longer than it takes to run into Target at the zero hour. For me, Christmas is about being able to dedicate some time to thinking about the people I love, getting inside what it is that makes them unique, and finding something they will, hopefully, enjoy receiving.
In pondering who my loved ones really are, their likes and hobbies and beliefs, I'm also taking the time to honor what they mean in my life and the things I've learned from having them so close to me.
That is the reason why I don't buy half-assed gifts for people. I take the time to find something that fits. And I don't just mean the size on the tag.
This all leads me to wonder when Christmas became just another checkbox on the To Do List of Life. We seem to have lost the real meaning of the season. I'm not talking about the religious significance, which varies from person to person, but instead the idea of setting aside time to spend with those whom we love most in the world. My Christmas list isn't a series of checked boxes of tasks accomplished; it's a list of people for whom I've thoughtfully chosen items which I believe will show them that they were on my mind for longer than it takes to run into Target at the zero hour. For me, Christmas is about being able to dedicate some time to thinking about the people I love, getting inside what it is that makes them unique, and finding something they will, hopefully, enjoy receiving.
In pondering who my loved ones really are, their likes and hobbies and beliefs, I'm also taking the time to honor what they mean in my life and the things I've learned from having them so close to me.
That is the reason why I don't buy half-assed gifts for people. I take the time to find something that fits. And I don't just mean the size on the tag.
posted by Bert at 4:40 PM
1 Comments:
you nailed it right on the head!! it shouldn't be about quantity...quality and thought is what matters!
have a wonderful christmas!
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