The Grinch On Christmas

I just came across this quote from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." I like it, so I'll blog it here.

"Maybe Christmas he thought doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more."

I recently asked my husband what he enjoyed about Christmas this year. He said, "No presents." I have to agree with him. Due to our strict spending limits for Christmas 2007, we did not buy gifts. I made a calendar for my mom and gave my dad a 1 year subscription to "Cookies By Mail" for six shipments of home-baked cookies randomly throughout the year. I made that up, and I'll bake and ship cookies to him. Glen and I gave no new gifts to each other. For other family, we made fudge and gave them that with some other little items. I enjoyed making the fudge -- something sweet to enjoy.

I did not miss the following things connected to gift giving: going to the malls/congested retail areas, fighting for parking spots, rushing to wrap everything, waiting in line, trying to guess what would be meaningful to someone on for the limited amount of money to spend, and the stress on time and money. I did hear others complain and I thought I wonder why they play the game when it is more of a hassle than blessing.

I now prefer to give money to a reputable charity for a goat for a family in poverty somewhere in the world. In fact, we were honored by others who donated on our behalf to support those fighting poverty in the world. That is very meaningful!

We did give our youngest nephew his annual $20 disguised in a coloring book. That is traditional fun. He graduates from high school in June 2009, so this will continue one more Christmas. Once the boys are out of high school, the gifting stops.

I recently saw a WalMart commercial with a little boy in a car going to WalMart to "spend" the gift card he got. It was a cozy, comforting tone to the commercial. However, it bothered me. A sense of peace, comfort, and love are not really found in material goods and consumer spending. This add was misleading. I found peace, comfort, and love in sharing time with loved ones (friends and family) and enjoying good food throughout the holidays. Simple and satisfying. Lesson learned.