Holiday Wishes

I guess I have become a once-a-month blogger. It isn't that I don't have news, or things to say...it is the simple fact of time in my life. Yes, I know everyone is busy, but when I write, my mind has to be clear so thoughts can move easily from my brain or my heart to my fingers and the keyboard. I have been distracted lately. You would not believe what is happening (mostly good) to me and my family...but you will have to wait for the New Year to get the information.

There is a growing sense of "reality" among Americans this holiday season. That reality has many of us actually contemplating our navels, thinking about who we are and how we live. Maybe there is the start of a backlash at the greed of Christmas. First of all, it started way too soon. Secondly, the pervading feeling of selfishness seems to finally be sinking in, and lastly, the sinking economy will be a tough reality for many Americans.

October is not the start of Christmas...I don't care if retailers need to get a jump on making their most profitable time of the year more profitable. There is confusion in consumers' minds when they can't figure out if they should be thinking about Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. The way this reality is playing out is that people might have had it up to here (palm to the neck) with these early marketing efforts. Do we really need an early start to the Holiday season of shopping? Retailers and marketers believe we need help remembering, and this convenience will help us stay organized. I don't buy it...I think many consumers were just caught forgetting about how close Christmas is. Since the retail push started so early, we naturally put things off thinking we had plenty of time...it literally snuck up on us this year! We tuned out the Christmas messages until it was too late. Here it is December 19th and I am just now thinking about getting my Christmas Cards done and mailed. (sorry you all, they will be late this year)

Maybe there is also a growing resentment to the "value" of Christmas giving. Maybe consumers have hit that tipping point where selfishness has blotted out the other key emotional values of this most special time of the year. And it doesn't feel right...it has that nagging feeling. Peace and Goodwill have been covered over by greed and dollars per person. Do expensive and numerous gifts determine how much we love, cherish and value our personal (and business) relationships? Maybe we are saying, "not this year". The media messages are mixed...between the advertising inserts of the newspaper there are smaller stories about generosity, giving, and selfless love. Even in the comic strips you will find beautiful messages about giving gifts of time, self, and service (I have always found the comic strips to be thought and trend leaders of society). This form of "reality" I am posing has consumers "opting out" of a big spending spree in lieu of donating, volunteering, serving.

The third reality is the tanking economy. While most of us may not be directly affected, we somehow feel affected. Not much has changed in reality...our job is secure, we have a fixed mortgage on our loans, etc. but we still have a suspicious and worried feeling in the pit of our stomach. My friend Jana has a good term for this feeling...Emotional Recession. Indirectly, we may feel the effects of the tailing economy through higher prices on most goods and services, but maybe this is a good thing. Maybe we are putting too much on our credit cards and not saving enough. Relearn the definition of "sacrifice". Maybe that is the word of the year. Maybe this is just the kick in the rear I need to start saving for retirement, college education, etc. Maybe this fear is just what the doctor ordered.

So it is okay to feel like you aren't really connected to the plastic joy, phony Christmas Carol laughter, and temporary peace you are being brainwashed to feel. You are not alone. Shake the cobwebs out of your head and focus on the great things that bring you true joy...spending time (not money) with your friends and family. Get some real laughter by playing with some kids, or a pet. Find true peace by discovering the love and forgiveness of a Savior. And it doesn't just have to happen this Holiday Season...this is something you can do all year long.

Just writing this entry has energized me. I have been wondering why I have had a Bah Humbug! spirit this year. It is because I am rejecting the facade of Christmas and am trying to find the reality of it.

Chow!