Bah Humbug – I’m Over Christmas!

I was brought up a good Christian girl and attended Sunday school weekly for the first 15 years of my life. However, it is sad to say that this is the first year that I am completely over Christmas. I still love to attend church on Christmas morning as I find it grounds me for the day and anchors me to the true meaning of Christmas, but that’s where it begins and ends. I am tired of cranky shoppers barging past me whilst rushing to find some last minute bargains before the big day. I’m tired of looking at tacky decorations. I’m tired of looking at Christmas lights that use enough energy to power a small suburb, and I’m tired of trying to buy the perfect gifts. Don’t get me wrong, I love to give gifts (and let’s be honest, I don’t mind receiving them) but, this year I just feel as if I have become so disconnected from what Christmas is really all about. I seem to have been caught up in the idea that Christmas = consumption. I purchased at least three times the amount of food I required, and I spent three times what I had intended to on my son. I now realise that I am becoming one of those parents that overindulge their children in order to fill a greater need within themselves.

 I have an adorable 18 month old baby who this week brought home beautiful blue angel he had made at day care. When presented with this lovely gift, my first thought was, If I put that on the tree, it’s going to clash with my lime green and chocolate brown colour scheme. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME??

From this moment on I refuse to be stressed over Christmas! We often hear “the holidays are such a stressful time”. WHY? Really? Is this something that we should allow ourselves to get stressed over? I think that we make decisions (therefore choices) that lead us to be stressed over Christmas. We don’t HAVE to rack up our credit cards. We don’t have to spend our time with people we don’t like or get on with, and we don’t have to spend an hour upon hour cruising the aisles of Wal-Mart looking for the biggest gift we can find.

WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS TO ME (note I grew up in Sydney, Australia)

Church on Christmas Morning at 7.am.
Morning tea with the Waterson family.
Fresh cherries.
Real Christmas trees turning brown (due to the heat).
Australian Christmas Bush.
My family.
My mum’s infectious Christmas spirit.
Sharing food with extended family.
Badly wrapped gifts.
Chocolate coated raisins.
Heat and humidity.
Watching the cricket on Boxing Day.