Okay, today I got caught up in the whole shopping thing. The urge to forage, to find that dopamine rush wrapped up in the perfect thing to buy for...who? For me, for a friend, a family member, somebody to impress with my thoughtfulness?
It's about my patriotic duty to keep the economy afloat and strong isn't it. Pandered to by Madison and Pennsylvania avenues I am compelled to go out and be the 21st century version of the hunter-gatherer. My weapons: my keenly shaped sense of what's hip, cool, and appropriate, along with the various versions of plastic in my wallet.
Sarcasism aside, I really do like to acknowledge my loved ones and my friends (hmmm, aren't they one and the same?) with gifts. But, grinching aside as well, do I really need to go out and buy a buncha stuff to show my love and appreciation?
Okay, alla you guys that just said "Yes!" anywhere in your heart of hearts think about that for a moment. Really? Do you really feel that if I haven't gotten you a present that I either don't care or that Christmas (and you) means less to me?
Well, today I ended up buying something for Sheila and ink jet printer cartriges and then sprinting outta the store before I got a buncha stuff that would have made some people happy but would have been a real drain on my budget.
I was thinking how sad it was that some folks wouldn't have a brightly wrapped 'something' under their tree that said "From Chuck".
Well I got over it! I thought of some of my favorite Christmas memories. The top ten didn't include a single gift, either received or given. Number one was a bus ride to a Gothic chapel where the choir I was in sang for some senior folks who so warmly greeted us that even after decades I can still feel their heart felt thanks.
I'm thinking that warmth we gave to those strangers was sortta representative of the ultimate gift: God's love for alla us! So, regardless of the brand of religion you might sport around as a part of your personal relationship to a greater power I say Merry Christmas to you.
And when you next find yourself weighed down, like I was today, by worrying about what to buy for whom, just have a little faith.
1 comment:
You know Chuck, as someone who has never celebrated Christmas, I've observed the onslought of madness for years now. As a child, I marvelled at my girlfriend's mothers who struggled to purchase gifts that they could not afford. (No fathers were around.) And it was really a keeping up with the Jones' fest. What I rarely saw, was the religious significance of Christmas Day, since I never witnessed anyone going to church. As I got older, I recognized how this season really impacted the mood of folks for the better. People were more likely to say good day aor happy holidays. I guess I would say that for me, and observer, I would like for my Christian brothers and sisters to carry that good will throughout the year and forget about the gifts and debt that comes with it. It means so much more.
jamillah
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