No More Christmas

:flower:You don't have to participate in the commercial aspect of the season.

It is ridiculous to realise Easter Eggs will soon be on sale

I follow the RCC liturgical calender, and both of these major feast days have a period of penance and abstinence prior, to help keep one's mind on what is truely important. It works for me, I find.

 

We scaled way back. However, we enjoy giving gifts to people. It's also a great time to reenforce generosity and care for our fellow man for our kids. For example, this year my sons helped us pick presents to give to a family that could not afford to buy gifts. The single mom in this case was literally wrapping food for her two kids. This family knows Christ and is involved in a local church. So the main need is met. Giving the kids something fun to open was a blessing to us as well, even though we were able to surprise them anonymously.

 

I don't detest it. It is beautiful, though the commercialism of it can be rather sickening! I do love the general spirit of kindness and such that does exist in more abundance during the season.

I never made too much of a deal with it in my own family, but with my remarriage, there was more of it since they were used to it. My kids were talking the other day about how people think it's weird when they'd ask what they got for Christmas and they'd say the one thing they got, or that we didn't do presents but gave to others instead.

We didn't even bother this year. We've been putting more of a focus on recognizing Biblical feasts and such, not as duty but as a reminder. It's a beautiful thing and it feels "right," without all the expectations and stress that typical holidays like Christmas and Easter seem to present to so many.

Of course, if you have minor children, you'll have to deal with people thinking you're cruel and abusive and even reporting it to children's services as such...and it's very likely that a social worker will be appalled and see it the same way.

 

A person does not need to participate in the commercialism to celebrate Christmas. I love all the lights, food, tree decorations, and giving gifts. To me, it all symbolizes things about Christ's coming (He is the Light, the Bread of Life, salvation means everlasting life symbolized by evergreen trees, and a it's a free gift) so it does not seem pagan in the least, but is a sweet reminder and celebration of His first coming.

Altho we have a tree and all the trimmings, we don't do the Santa Claus thing.

 

And Gwen, you have the most amazingly classy taste in decorating. Stuff like that is one of the reasons I find it such a beautiful visual time of year! It makes things look so peaceful and happy, which really gives a good reminder of the beauty and peace given to us from above.

Please tell me you're not hiding a dancing Santa in your closet. :laugh:

 

Aww, thanks. You are so sweet! Hahaha about the dancing Santa! He's no where to be found here, altho I'm not opposed to the original Saint Nicholas, who helped the poor. He might be hiding somewhere. One of the most beautiful things about Christmas is the generosity found at no other time of year. I love it.

 

I hear you. But I am convinced that you can control it as long as your family will go along with you. In fact I am vowing to simplify things even more next year.

Here are some suggestions we've followed, or plan to follow.

1) Find a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day Church Service that you can attend. Make that your first priority...and let everything revolve around that.

2) Enjoy your family. Mature adults within the family should want to agree that gift-giving should be heavily cut. [My family purchases gifts for the kids....adults play Dirty Santa with cheap useful gifts. You take one adult gift, you come home with one adult gift. You sit back and enjoy the kids]. Of course, even during the gift giving, the family still centers the day around Christ's birth.

3) Decorate outside with a modest nativity and a few lights. [Haven't gotten there with this one yet, but that is the plan].

These are a few suggestions for starters to help. They've helped us. We plan to simplify even more so that we can enjoy the season while at the same time keeping things focused on Jesus' birth.

NO I don't want to eliminate December.....because I love the lights and the music.... I just wish more of the music was spiritual. But I get to choose what I listen to. As for the lights....the kid within me loves them, and they mean Christmas, and Christmas means the Birth of our Savior.

 

Way to over react.