Sunday, November 18, 2012

Holiday Giving in Excess - 3 Ways to Offset it


Most of us are shocked when the year-end holiday decorations and merchandise are displayed in stores earlier and earlier each year.

Christians are not the only ones affected. Other faiths and their traditions, I am sure, are challenged by all of this as well.

How can we counteract it? What can we do to keep things reasonable in a world gone mad with advertisers pushing products at us from every technological device available?

My own experience brings to mind 3 ways...they may have their basis in children's activities, but they can easily be adapted for adults and for various faiths.

1 - Limit the choices - When I was little, my brother and sister and I did not know we were poor. Mom sat us down with the Sears catalog when it arrived with the holiday gifts inside. She gave us a dollar-limit (today, $25 would be fair, I think). We three kids were each allowed to circle 3 items we most wanted with that price as the maximum, the limit. We were told Santa would bring us one of those items, for sure. We were thrilled. We knew, this way, that we were guaranteed one item that we really wanted. When our playmates made fun of us because we didn't have a pile of gifts to brag about after Christmas, we were armed with our reply - "I don't care. At least I got exactly what I asked for!" And, we had. In addition, we gained some math skills along with a sense of price comparison. We learned to read the product description carefully. Oh, we learned a lot from that humble but practical tradition.

2 - Take the focus off material gifts - I posted about this last year, at this link. Basically, as a child in the Catholic school system, we had many traditions. The one I loved best at Christmas-time was the Spiritual Manger. We were encouraged to do one good deed a day until Christmas. Each good deed was a soft piece of straw or hay for the Babe's manger. We loved the thought that we were able to cushion his little body against the splintery wood of that manger. Even non-Christians can encourage, in some way, a similar effort among their loved ones.

3 - Make the gifts - There is no doubt that a little love goes a long way and crafting a gift is one way of showing our love. Time, for many of us, is precious. Making a gift does not have to be stressful or difficult. I have two Pinterest boards with links to ideas for quick-and-easy DIY projects for holiday gifts. None of them require a lot of time or effort or skill. I gathered them for myself, frankly, so that I can browse them and do exactly what I am suggesting for you - make some gifts for my friends and loved ones this year. One board will not change - I've already added everything for this board because I gathered these ideas last year. This other board is a new one and I'll be adding to it whenever I see a really neat and easy idea that I want to save for my own use one of these days.

Father, forgive us for putting price and prestige at the top of our gift requirements. Help us to remember that gifts are voluntary and not an obligation. More than anything else, help us to remember that your biggest gift to us is your love. I pray that I may pass that love on to others this season, and always.


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