a Christmas rant.

Well so far my break has went something like this....I go to bed between 11-12pm when Jordan does (since he's working all week full-time...one of us has to be productive right?), watch a movie or read in bed until 1ish, sleep til 10am, then finish the movie or chapter I ended on. After Paisley and I have had enough of just laying in bed,  I figure it's time to change back into some sweats and a hoody then post up on the couch. All day. And usually fit a nap in somewhere between 2-4. I really don't know what my life has come to. So today I finally switched it up and after realizing that Christmas is only 5 days away, I finished all of my Christmas shopping. I got ALL of it done in ooh about 4 hours, including wrapping, if that even. Which makes me laugh because I know some people who have spent close to (and probably way more than) 40 HOURS Christmas shopping! Yes, you read that right. 40 HOURS!!!! That would be an entire full-time work week spent shopping. What?! I don't have the time (or money!) for that!! 


What is happening to Christmas?!! I don't get it!! Why do stores start putting Christmas stuff out at the same time as they set out the Halloween decorations and candy! It's beyond ridiculous. Not to go all churchy and "God-freak" on you all, but isn't the real meaning of Christmas the birth of Jesus? Do kids these days even know the story and how it all went down? It makes me sad and somewhat disgusted that some parents just think that Christmas is about the presents and Santa and the quantity of stuff they give, not the quality. Maybe I'm wrong here, but I honestly don't ever remember growing up like that or celebrating like that. Sure, my siblings and I all made "Christmas Wish Lists" but that's all they were. Wish lists. Because we could write down anything and everything we wanted knowing damn well that we wouldn't see half the stuff under the tree at any point in time. We went to a Catholic school growing up so we went to Mass twice a week, followed the Advent calendar and wreath and did different volunteer activities throughout the month of December...ya know, sing at the nursing home, read to elementary kids, ring the salvation army bell. Anyway, we gave our time is the point I'm trying to make. We did random acts of kindness because people remember those longer and those go a hell of a lot further than a Christmas tree full of the latest clothes and shoes underneath of it. I think people underestimate the power of acts of kindness. You don't have to look very far to realize that people everywhere are less fortunate than you or have it worse off. If you're reading this, you're already more fortunate and rich than countless people who can't even read or don't have a computer or access to the internet. 


So back to my point. Christmas and gift giving. It's outrageous and something has got to change. I'd like to think and tell myself this, and also my mom, that we're at the age where if we want something, we can buy it ourselves. If we can't afford it, we'll either save up for it or decide we don't need it that bad after all. Christmas to us isn't about the "stuff" or the gifts. It's about family and being together. It's about the memories and hugs and laughs and snuggles and good times that we'll all share over a few days that we all get to spend together. We all pile in the car and go to church together which gives all of us time to reflect on the year, our lives and be truly thankful for who we have in our life and what we are blessed with. I wish all families Christmases were like this. I wish that people would keep "Christ" in Christmas and not change it to x-mas or "Happy Holidays." All I know is that when Jordan and I have kids, I hope to teach them from an early age what Christmas is about. I hope our kids understand that there are other kids out there much less fortunate than them and to show them how rewarding it would be to donate their new toys to Toys for Tots or use their own Christmas money to donate to an organization that helps support kids with cancer. While I'm sure the massive overload of spoiling will still happen from the grandparents (because isn't that what grandparents are for?!), I hope that they would at least help recognize that just because they didn't teach their own kids these values, they would help us teach our kids what's important to us and our family. Gotta teach 'em and start 'em young right? I saw a pin the other day on Pinterest and thought it was so fitting for this time of year: 


The 4 Gift-Giving Rule:
-one thing they want
-one thing they need
-one thing they wear
-one thing they read


Brilliant. Thank you, Pinterest. You did it again. I should pass this along to those 40-hour shoppers for next year. And I have already mental noted this for the future. And to wrap this up, just because Christmas is this weekend and the festive music will stop on the radio and the gift giving will come to an end, doesn't mean the gift of time and gratitude needs to stop. Volunteer at the local hospital. Read to kids at the library. Give blood. Take your neighbors dog for a walk. Donate to a charity you support. Smile at someone you cross paths with. Do something, anything.  A little boy in Dance Marathon once said, "an act of kindness, big or small, is the greatest gift of all." If a five year old knows that, what's wrong with the rest of us?? Just think of how much better this world would be if we all put someone before ourselves first, even if just for a day or a few hours. Make it a New Year's Resolution if you have to. Eventually, we'll get Christmas back the way it used to be. Until then, enjoy all of the time with family and friends, embrace the moments together and spread the love around to those who might not have as much. And remember: count your blessings, not your problems.