Before I get bombarded with the hate mail with the flashing capitalist stink bombs, let me explain.
I love Christmas. No! Wait! Stop!
Okay, let me get the paper towels to clean this up.
You cannot make Christmas a capitalist venture to me. You just can't. I know factually that it IS a capitalist time of year for many people, but not to me. How can I make such a claim? Well, for starters I try and make as many gifts as possible. I knit, bake, paint and quilt. And I work on it all year round. Yes, I actually DO plan my Christmas list in the bleak evenings of February. When tax time is looming and there's nothing to cheer you through the late winter slush or the post New Year pounds on your hips - I settle down at my desk and plan for next Christmas. Am I nuts? Well - yeah! But that was established in a previous post long ago.
The fact is, it's easier on your nerves and your wallet if you try and take care of one Christmas gift per paycheck, starting somewhere in the spring. Think about it. How much do you spend on cards, wrapping, gifts, postage, etc? Now I won't make the audacious claim of being second cousin to Mrs. Claus and have this whole thing perfected. I do have the occasional last minute gift or the gift that I couldn't knit in time. I'm not trying to convert anyone, just saying that I also am subject to the malls the traffic - but it doesn't dim my Christmas spirit.
Christmas is in the cascade of lights over a city at night.
It's the scent of cinnamon from a kitchen.
It's too many cookies and not enough places to store them.
It's a mug of hot chocolate while listening to Frank Sinatra croon carols.
It's the smell of a Christmas tree greeting you after work.
It's the way some small percentage of people, stop and actually TRY to find what Christmas means to them. And that's pretty damn important.
The gifts are just extra.
And before I get a second wave of hate mail with the "Reason for the Season" stamped all over it, please remember that this blog is my personal opinion and I'm entitled to it. If you don't like what I say - please move along to someone else's opinion. I have friends from many walks of life and not all of them celebrate Christmas. Bah humbug? Of course not! I send them Yule, Chanukah or whatever gifts. The point of this time of year to me is that we appreciate the people in our lives. Whether you light a menorah, leave out honey for fairies, sing hymns at service or just roll over and go back to sleep and thank the government for the day off of work; it's all the same.
I think I've gotten to the point where I'm verbally circling myself. You either get what I'm trying to say or you're shaking your head at the screen and wondering how much coffee I've had.
Here's my statement and I'm sticking to it:
I love Christmas.
I listen to carols all year round and
I'd live at Santa's workshop and be totally thrilled with it.
I love Christmas. No! Wait! Stop!
Okay, let me get the paper towels to clean this up.
You cannot make Christmas a capitalist venture to me. You just can't. I know factually that it IS a capitalist time of year for many people, but not to me. How can I make such a claim? Well, for starters I try and make as many gifts as possible. I knit, bake, paint and quilt. And I work on it all year round. Yes, I actually DO plan my Christmas list in the bleak evenings of February. When tax time is looming and there's nothing to cheer you through the late winter slush or the post New Year pounds on your hips - I settle down at my desk and plan for next Christmas. Am I nuts? Well - yeah! But that was established in a previous post long ago.
The fact is, it's easier on your nerves and your wallet if you try and take care of one Christmas gift per paycheck, starting somewhere in the spring. Think about it. How much do you spend on cards, wrapping, gifts, postage, etc? Now I won't make the audacious claim of being second cousin to Mrs. Claus and have this whole thing perfected. I do have the occasional last minute gift or the gift that I couldn't knit in time. I'm not trying to convert anyone, just saying that I also am subject to the malls the traffic - but it doesn't dim my Christmas spirit.
Christmas is in the cascade of lights over a city at night.
It's the scent of cinnamon from a kitchen.
It's too many cookies and not enough places to store them.
It's a mug of hot chocolate while listening to Frank Sinatra croon carols.
It's the smell of a Christmas tree greeting you after work.
It's the way some small percentage of people, stop and actually TRY to find what Christmas means to them. And that's pretty damn important.
The gifts are just extra.
And before I get a second wave of hate mail with the "Reason for the Season" stamped all over it, please remember that this blog is my personal opinion and I'm entitled to it. If you don't like what I say - please move along to someone else's opinion. I have friends from many walks of life and not all of them celebrate Christmas. Bah humbug? Of course not! I send them Yule, Chanukah or whatever gifts. The point of this time of year to me is that we appreciate the people in our lives. Whether you light a menorah, leave out honey for fairies, sing hymns at service or just roll over and go back to sleep and thank the government for the day off of work; it's all the same.
I think I've gotten to the point where I'm verbally circling myself. You either get what I'm trying to say or you're shaking your head at the screen and wondering how much coffee I've had.
Here's my statement and I'm sticking to it:
I love Christmas.
I listen to carols all year round and
I'd live at Santa's workshop and be totally thrilled with it.
