I finally have been clearing out my Google Reader (again) (that thing gets way too full too quick) and read a post I was looking forward to from One Green Generation, Redefining The Holidays. As my own personal definition of ‘the holidays’ is changing this year, I was really excited to see how other people were redefining the holidays. However, as I pointed out in my comment, I was disappointed at the end that it was mostly a list of frugal ideas for gift-giving. For me, redefining the holidays means not relying on the commercialization of the holidays and only paying attention to the gift-giving aspect of the season. So I thought I should write a little bit about how I see the holidays this year.
I have three weeks between the fall semester and the spring semester this year, and it’s giving me a fairly appealing view of the holidays, as I never before had. First of all, as I am pretty well shielded from the media at school, I haven’t had much exposure to Christmas commercials and songs and decorations and all of that stuff that tends to make me angry, which is a HUGE plus. Secondly, since my next semester is going to be six whole months, which feels like forever and I won’t be able to come home even once, all of my family members want to see me at least once before I go. You know what this means? The first holiday season IN. MY. LIFE. that I’ll spend with more than my brother and my parents. This year I’ll see my grandparents ON CHRISTMAS DAY. I’m 19 years old and have never had the pleasure of extended family during the holidays. I’m sure most people can’t imagine such a thing, but I am really happy about it. Also, more of my family is thinking of visiting for New Year’s to see me.
Another change this year is a reaction to the economy. I’ve spent years begging my mom not to buy me presents for Christmas just because she felt like she had to. I’m much more delighted to come home from school in May to find the most recent volume of a series of books I’m collecting on my shelf that wasn’t there before than to get a lot of gifts on one day that I don’t want or won’t use. (And I can’t even remember most of my Christmas gifts, even from last year!) So this year, when my mom decided she didn’t think it was a good idea to buy a lot of presents for everyone because of the economy, I emphatically agreed. After all, my grandparents are going to be here and I’ll study abroad next semester. What more could I want?
My mom also explained something she decided for herself, something I agree with: though she doesn’t want to worry about Christmas and Chanukah gifts this year, she does want us (my brother and I) to feel all right with asking for a few small things rather than abstaining from receiving anything entirely. They are still gifts, but what we ask for won’t be wrapped up and held onto until a certain time to be opened. So over Thanksgiving I asked for two books, the most recent ones in the series I mentioned. We bought them then and they were in my room when I came back again the other day. I will read and enjoy them all three weeks rather than get a bunch of presents on Christmas day, gifts I will only be allowed to enjoy for a week before I leave to go abroad. Is that worth it at all? Not to me. Do I really need more stuff? No, not really. I may want to be more fashionable and have more variety of clothes, but really, I have enough to keep me warm. Isn’t that enough?
I am enjoying this ‘holiday season’ that much more this year, and I think these changes help a great deal. This will probably be the only year I’ll ever spend Christmas with my grandparents, but at least I will get the chance. So many people advise spending time with friends and family as a way to combat depression because of the economy and the fact that it’s winter, and yet as Melinda reminded me people do associate the holidays with gifts because they like to give gifts. Yes, I agree. It’s great to give and receive gifts. But do they have to be wrapped and held onto until a certain date? Why the emphasis on the gifts NOW? For me the emphasis is on spending time with family. And for once I’m not a complete grinch this December. I am sure the emphasis on being with people is helping that.
In other news, I am done with finals and now have three weeks to prepare to leave the country. Also, the knitting mojo is gone. The anything not school related mojo is gone. I seriously don’t know what the word ‘relax’ means, and I can’t sit still anymore. Aaaagh.
This year, for once, I’m not jumping up and down like I do most years during the holidays…it’s all kind of ho-hum.
Also…lately I haven’t really had anything I REALLY wanted to knit….I need something new in the knitting department. It’s nice just to be home, and hang out with family, and know that I’ll see friends I haven’t seen in months soon.
Can’t sit still? My last day is Thursday. We need to go to the beach! I know the way, and there is a pretty good yarn shop there, along with the obligatory sea shell shop. Which I cannot say correctly with my retainers in. We don’t even have to buy anything, we can just look around.
Yeah, that article seemed like it was going to be about actual redefining. It’s sort of depressing that some people’s ideas of redefining Christmas is “not breaking the bank.” Seriously, the fact that that guy died at Walmart on Black Friday and the fact that people got pissed off when they closed the store really, really, really makes me mad. Because I thought Christmas was about love and friendships and family. Not about presents. But I guess with today’s consumerism, redefining Christmas to a lot of people IS buying less stuff, and that’s … just really sad.
I’m glad it sounds like you’re going to have a great Christmas. And I loved this post because it might be the first blog post I’ve read anywhere that talks about breaking away from a very consumerist-type of Christmas.
Because my parents grew up in a different culture, our Christmases have always been a tad bit different from everyone else’s. I’ve never received anything wrapped from them for the holidays. They usually make our favorite Filipino holiday food and make it a bonding moment by having us help them make it. Or they take us shopping… and before you assume that we shop till we drop, we don’t! They buy each one of us a sweater and a pair of pants. When I was younger, it was the only other time that they ever bought us clothes (other than school shopping) so it was always exciting then and it’s still exciting now.
I like giving gifts but they’re never anything lavish… and most of the time, they’re baked goods. Also, I love making handmade holiday cards and people in my family seem to appreciate those. And the main event on Christmas day for my family is not the opening of gifts but playing games! Catchphrase is always lots of fun to play with the cousins.
I can’t imagine making gifts the main event for Christmas. How miserable are people this year then? Christmas to me still feels like Christmas even without a billion presents under the tree.
Stephanie, you definitely made a great point and this is a wonderful post. When I wrote about Redefining the Holidays, I was trying to reach those of us who still celebrate fairly traditionally at Christmas. I began with redefining gift-giving because there are very few people who truly do not give gifts over the holidays. VERY few. And it’s difficult for most people to get beyond that.
But to your point about focusing solely on the gift-giving, hopefully the several other posts in this holiday series have changed your mind about that!
As I said, “Above all else, remember that the true spirit of the holidays is the celebration of all that we have – our families, our friends, and our dreams. I hope that you are good to yourselves this holiday season, and allow yourselves to set economic and physical limits as you nurture yourself and those around you – in mind, body, and spirit.”
I hope you and your family are having a wonderful holiday!
Hi Stephanie, I also get frustrated with the requirement to give gifts to celebrate the holidays. Buying used or making your own is definitely a step in the right direction but, if it feels like an obligation and the only reason family or friends want to see you, then it’s still not really in line with the spirit of Christmas. I’m glad you got to enjoy extended family this year. That’s something I miss from my childhood Christmases, much more than any of the gifts I ever got!