Holidays - what they are REALLY about...

What is Thanksgiving and Christmas?

Thanksgiving - I get so aggravated with people who think Thanksgiving is all about a big meal – REALLY? It’s about spending quality time with your family and friends, about giving thanks for what you have (as in your family and friends – not material things). So many people love Thanksgiving because the next day is BLACK FRIDAY and they can get up at o’dark thirty and go shopping for Christmas.

Christmas – a time meant to celebrate the birth of Christ but has now become more about Santa Clause and presents. You can’t even say Merry Christmas now without offending someone – I’m sorry but if you are going to be offended by that then don’t leave your house for the month of December. Why does Christmas have to be about how much money you can spend rather than the important things?

Growing up mama always made sure we had a good Christmas, and yes, as a kid I enjoyed it, but I too was very appreciative of what I had. I never counted all my presents to make sure I had equal or more than I did the year before and it irritates me more than anything else to see kids do that. To me, when kids are counting their gifts then they have not been taught what Christmas is really about. I am so aggravated with how spoiled kids are becoming – getting toy after toy all the time then at Christmas you have to go above and beyond so they have a “good Christmas.”

I remember learning about a friend of mine who got one present on Christmas and was floored that was all she got – but she was very appreciative of it and didn’t complain. Why can’t we all be that way? Make it about being with family rather than material things.

How many times has Christmas ended and kids not even know what they got because they got so much? How many toys are broken on the same day? How many gifts are never taken out of boxes because your kids didn’t like the toy? How much money is thrown away because you are trying to keep up with everyone else?

Now that I have a daughter I want her to grow up knowing the true meaning of these holidays and not about how much STUFF she will get. I don’t want her to expect a toy every time we go shopping or complain if she didn’t get what she wanted. I would much rather give her memories rather than STUFF. I’d rather her think of others first. I want her to be happy and things don’t do that – things are only temporary where family and friends are forever.