It's that time of year again, when we're bombarded with advertisements promoting the holiday season. Has anyone noticed that in recent years, the bombardment actually starts BEFORE Halloween is even over? I guess retailers want an even earlier start to the spending spree that culminates with last-minute shopping on December 24th.
A few years ago I really started to hate the commercialism of the holiday season. "Get them what they REALLY want for only $799", one ad said. Who the hell has $799 to spend on ONE gift? Geez, I remember getting $20 20 years ago and that was like winning the lottery. My, how times (and inflation!) have changed. Nowadays, people all want the latest and greatest in everything from electronics to gadgets to gidgets to tools to appliances, etc. $20 just doesn't cut it any more.
It was around this time that I decided that I wouldn't refer to Christmas as "Christmas" until the commercialism of it ceased. I've adopted "Xmas" (pronounced "ex-mas") instead until such time as Christmas is restored to its former glory and meaning. Let me give you some insight.
I remember Xmas used to be about making Christmas decorations for the tree, about spending time with family and friends, about playing games, about making snowmen, about taking walks in freshly fallen snow, about admiring the lights and decorations, about sharing meals together, about singing songs, and about watching old holiday movies. The last thing on people's minds was spending copious amounts of money on gifts. This is not to say that Xmas these days doesn't include those activities, but it just seems less and less with each passing year.
The gifts people give and receive are becoming more and more lavish to the point of absurdity. If you need more convincing, just watch TV at this time of year. It seems that every retailer is airing Xmas commercials including car companies! Seriously, who has the kind of money to buy someone a car, save for the 1% of the population who control 99% of the wealth?
What's worse, those same commercials make it sound like you will be the worse person on the planet if you DON'T get them "what they REALLY want". It's a sickening ploy that plays on people's guilty conscience. And I haven't even mentioned the amount of stress this puts on people, not only on their bank accounts but on their psyche as well. Isn't this supposed to be the "most wonderful time of the year?" Oh the irony . . .
Receiving a gift is a blessing and it should be treated as such. It should not be something that someone ASKED for. A gift should be a surprise, something someone took the time, energy, and thought to get for someone else. And it doesn't even have to cost anything nor purchased at a store! That's what makes a gift special and reinforces the timeless Christmas adage "It's the thought that counts."
I know we live in 2012 and times have changed. I can't turn back the clock to what I remember Christmas used to be, but I can quietly protest what it has become.
Merry Xmas everyone!
Sunday, 25 November 2012
Monday, 19 November 2012
The Love of Play
Play.
If I was to say to you "Let's play", what comes to mind? You would probably answer "Play what?" As adults, we immediately think of something organized like card games, board games, video games, sports, etc. That's the logical, adult answer.
I had the pleasure of babysitting my 3-year old nephew for a few hours while my sister was attending a baby shower. It was a sunny day so I decided to take him to a nearby park. It was amazing to me how quickly he started to play with some of the other children there.
I had no idea what they were doing. To me, it just looked like a lot of running around, chasing each other in circles, all the while yelling this indecipherable kid-speak to one another. After a few minutes, it became obvious to me that they had imaginatively invented a game and added rules as they went along. It was simultaneously organized and disorganized yet the children all seemed to know what to do. THIS was unprejudiced and unadulterated "play".
As I watched them, I was wondering what was going through their little minds. I must say I was a little envious of the freedom of thought they were enjoying. Somewhere along the way to adulthood, we loss touch with that "illogic". These kids weren't saddled with concerns of money, mortgages, careers, etc. The only thing they were concerned with was playing. What I wouldn't give to get some of that back!
As mothers, fathers, aunties, and uncles, we have a lot to teach our kids. Ironically, we have a lot to learn from them too. The world would be a better place if we took the time to reconnect with our inner child and just played more.
If I was to say to you "Let's play", what comes to mind? You would probably answer "Play what?" As adults, we immediately think of something organized like card games, board games, video games, sports, etc. That's the logical, adult answer.
I had the pleasure of babysitting my 3-year old nephew for a few hours while my sister was attending a baby shower. It was a sunny day so I decided to take him to a nearby park. It was amazing to me how quickly he started to play with some of the other children there.
I had no idea what they were doing. To me, it just looked like a lot of running around, chasing each other in circles, all the while yelling this indecipherable kid-speak to one another. After a few minutes, it became obvious to me that they had imaginatively invented a game and added rules as they went along. It was simultaneously organized and disorganized yet the children all seemed to know what to do. THIS was unprejudiced and unadulterated "play".
As I watched them, I was wondering what was going through their little minds. I must say I was a little envious of the freedom of thought they were enjoying. Somewhere along the way to adulthood, we loss touch with that "illogic". These kids weren't saddled with concerns of money, mortgages, careers, etc. The only thing they were concerned with was playing. What I wouldn't give to get some of that back!
As mothers, fathers, aunties, and uncles, we have a lot to teach our kids. Ironically, we have a lot to learn from them too. The world would be a better place if we took the time to reconnect with our inner child and just played more.
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