As the kids get older and become less awestruck with the season, I get the idea that much of their enthusiasm is mainly to humour me. I find myself becoming a little--well, OK, a lot, sad at the loss.
Maybe I never grew up, but I can always muster that Christmas anticipation, the awe that goes with the season. The time when miracles could happen (and I don't mean finding the latest trendy gadget sitting under the tree either). Yes, it sounds schmaltzy (is that a word?), but maybe we need a little schmaltzy now and then.
Still, with a dwindling number of local extended family members, and kids growing older and more sophisticated, I find Christmas is getting a little routine.
I saw this coming last year, so I took a few measures to ward it off. We were doing better than many financially, so I volunteered us to adopt a family. I was hoping the whole family would get excited about it, but it became my project. Still, it filled a void, and if you can do it, I highly recommend it. Although we never met the family, I found myself getting excited about how I thought they might react. Since they published a strict policy of allowable money spent (to keep things equal between recipient families), I was careful to look for sales and was thrilled when the dollhouse I thought would be perfect went on sale within the spending limit.
I did look into other ways to volunteer in the community, but it seems everyone wants to volunteer at holiday time, and many organizations prefer to keep their "regulars".
Sometimes something simple, such as a winter walk in the woods, or a visit to a pioneer village to think about historical celebrations of Christmas can provide a little holiday perspective.
How many of us have a glass of orange juice in the morning, but never really taste it? 150 years ago, an orange was probably the best gift you would get. It was something to anticipate, something to cherish and enjoy. It was a source of vitamin C that was difficult to come by during the dark winter months. Every part was used--even the rind was candied and treasured. I'll bet that those oranges tasted a lot better too, if only due to their well-deserved appreciation.
Another tradition I started when the kids were young was to hand-make some of the gifts we give. A hand made gift shows the receiver that they were thought about in advance, and that they are worth the time and effort. You don't have to be a Martha Stewart type to hand make a gift for a loved one. Try here and here for some meaningful gift suggestions.
Where does the season's magic lie for you? Do you have a special Christmas/Holiday tradition, or a single event that holds meaning for you?
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