Christmas on the Flip-Side

In America, Christmas is a time of gift-giving. We open our hearts and our wallets to show others how much we care about and love them. Generosity is at its peak during the Christmas season, no matter what religion or holiday you are celebrating. When I was younger I was always into Christmas big-time. I decorated like crazy and spent too much money on the kids. I loved doing the Secret Santa at work and mailing out Christmas cards. At this season of my life Christmas gift-giving has lost its “wow” factor. I do like giving gifts. I’m talking about no more long Christmas lists to Santa and no longer being woken up at 5 am because the kids just can’t sleep. I have 2 teenage boys who have long outgrown the excitement of waiting for Santa. No one wakes us up on Christmas morning anymore, unless the dog needs to go out. In fact, my husband is often the one saying “Go drag the kids out of bed so we can open presents!” The days of scouring the JC Penny toy catalog are gone. These days gift giving at our home revolves around much needed clothing, ski equipment, and paintball gear. I don’t have adorable little nieces or nephews to buy toys for. The lack of Christmas wonder puts kind of a damper on the festivities for me. Even putting up the tree just doesn’t hold that excitement that it used to. Unpacking those ornaments that the kids made in elementary school almost makes me sad in a way. I think my friend Roxann got it right when she and her husband took their adult kids to Florida last year as their family Christmas present. That’s what I think Christmas is about now. It’s about being together and making memories before the kids are off on their own. It’s about celebrating the birth of Jesus. It’s about finding joy in helping those less fortunate. Someday I’ll have grandkids and will be able to buy toys and bake cookies for Santa once again. But for now I’ll be thankful that we are together and healthy. I’ll continue teach my kids to focus on others. Maybe I’ll even start dropping hints to my husband about the possibility for a Christmas getaway next year. Why not?

Published December 2010