Simple Christmas
Whatever happened to those old-fashioned Christmases? You know the ones where you got an orange and a peppermint stick in your stocking and you were thrilled? Well, I never actually experienced a Christmas that was quite that simple! But I can see how Christmas has changed since I was a child.
It’s only the first week of December, but already my kids have been asked multiple times what Santa is bringing them for Christmas. The Black Friday sales started on Monday. The Cyber Monday sales turned into Cyber Week sales. Many stores opened on Thanksgiving Day to give shoppers early access to sales. When I go to websites I see lists of “most-wanted” items in every category. My inbox is filling up with emails touting “perfect gifts for the one who loves {insert item here}.”
A season of getting
It feels like this has become a season of getting. And as we start to pile up things, we lose the joy that comes from giving. Kids make lists and give them to “Santa,” and moms and dads stand in lines and spend money they don’t have to get everything their kids want.
Far from the days of peppermint sticks, or even the days of a new bicycle or BB gun, even the gifts are complicated. Gaming systems, remote-control everything, hoverboards, little creatures that hatch out of eggs. And some things even more ridiculous.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t buy extravagant gifts for Christmas, but I do believe that we should make the day about more than the gifts.
So many people complain that they don’t have enough money to pay their bills, but they think nothing of dropping hundreds or even thousands of dollars on Christmas gifts. Many times they just swipe their credit cards and worry about the bills later. All so that they give someone the “perfect” Christmas present.
I am not against Christmas presents. I love giving them, and I love getting them! I’m not against trying to find a good deal or buying gifts for the people you love.
But I’m struggling with the thought that we have to spend a lot of money on our families and our friends or their Christmas will be a disappointment.
Also read: 3 Tips to Simplify Your Christmas Season
Bigger isn’t better
We live in a time where bigger and more is always better. We want to have things that impress others, and at Christmas time we want to give gifts that impress, too. Gone are the days when a simple gift was enough to say “I love you. Thanks for being my friend.”
Over the last couple of years, Billy and I have had some financial strains that have prevented us from going all-out at Christmas. I was heart-broken the year my boys only had two gifts to open. But you know what I found out? They didn’t care. They were so excited to be opening presents, and playing with new toys, they weren’t worried that there weren’t more.
And I learned an important gift that I’m carrying into the future. A few gifts that are loved and enjoyed are better than many gifts that are never used.
The comparison trap
Last Christmas, after the festivities I sat down to look at Facebook, and saw pictures of people opening piles and piles of gifts. I overheard one child say that she and her brother each had fifteen gifts to open just from their parents.
The emotional side of me once again felt sad that I hadn’t been able to give more to my boys. But the practical side of me thought, “How in the world can they truly play with and enjoy every single one of those gifts?”
The truth is, they can’t. Friends have told me that their kids have actually gone from one Christmas to the next, and never taken toys out of their boxes. I’ve been guilty of donating clothes that still have tags on them, because my kids outgrew them before they had a chance to wear them.
When things like that happen, we feel embarrassed. But it doesn’t mean we’re bad parents. It doesn’t even mean that we’re raising entitled or ungrateful kids.
It does mean that we’ve fallen into a trap of comparison and wanting more than we need. It’s easy to do. We all want the best for our kids. We all want them to have the best toys and games, and even opportunities. Christmas is the perfect time to give them all the best things.
Simply Christmas
As our friends and acquaintances start posting pictures of their Christmas trees piled high with gifts, we feel the pressure to keep up. We want to exchange gifts with a family or friend close to us, and we worry that they’ll feel insulted with a simple gift.
We want to give more to the people we care about the most. And while Christmas is the season of giving, it shouldn’t be a time of giving so much that it causes us stress or financial struggles.
As the Christmas season really gets underway, we will all start to feel the pressure. The pressure to buy more, bigger and better. I know…the struggle is real! But we need to remind ourselves that stuff and money don’t make us happy.
Christmas isn’t merrier because we give or get a lot of gifts. Our true happiness comes from knowing the peace and love of a Savior. We give gifts because He gave us the greatest gift. We show love because He loved us.
So let’s make this a season of love. Let’s give because we love. And let us receive and feel love. Don’t feel that the price of a gift is a reflection of how much you love someone, or how much they love you.
Take every opportunity to remind your kids (and yourself!) that Christmas isn’t about the money you spend, or the number of presents under the tree. It’s about sharing the love that was born that first Christmas night so long ago. If we have that, a simple Christmas is enough.
