Holiday Perspective

This time of year can be quite the challenge for me to keep my priorities straight. To not get caught up with the commercialization of Christmas. Especially as it relates to my kids. I see so many things that I would love to buy them... It would be easy to go crazy because let's face it, shopping is fun! We are committed to our debt free lifestyle though. So this is where the challenge comes in. Keeping perspective on what the holiday is really about. It is not about the gifts. I need this on repeat in my head. Not about the gifts, faith. Not about the gifts! I have lots of handmade gift ideas floating in my head. So excited to put them into action for the people I love. Sadly, it is hard to get to the fun stuff I want to when there is always work (and laundry!) calling my name. Such is life. ;-) My goals for Christmas 2011 . . . Christ Centered. Meaningful. Simple. Lovely. Handmade. Thoughtful. Joyful. Pretty much not what I feel when I see a Black Friday commercial or step into a mall. There it is all about a buying frenzy. It's all about "stuff", as much as you can get, even if it means paying for it for years to come on your credit card. I saw a commercial for one of those loan places where you can "get cash today" and I wondered how many people do that, out of a desperation to give their kids lots of presents in order to make the "perfect" Christmas experience. An experience that will end with a bunch of junk that kids may not even remember, didn't need, may not even want, and will probably be broken in less than a month when they are still not even paid for yet. So again, as a reminder to myself more than anyone else . . . Christ Centered. Meaningful. Simple. Lovely. Handmade. Thoughtful. Joyful.