| Wrap Your Family With Love |
By: By Susan Swindell Day - December 2008
|
Posted: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 10:16 am
|
Children have a real way of understanding what's happening in our economy this holiday season: Parents everywhere are cutting back. And while the holidays may "look" different in many homes this year -- smaller stacks of presents under the tree, a little less for you and me -- they don't have to feel so different. In fact, perhaps this is the time to dig in and make it the merriest Christmas season of all. When all else fails, we still have each other. But kids need a context or they will not understand when Christmas morning brings a little less from Santa ... that happened to me years ago when I was a girl.
Over the course of two different Christmases, my "take" looked completely different. The middle of five children, I think I learned to "eye" what my older sister received a bit suspiciously ... it always seemed like more to me ... and then of course, I just detested having to wear her hand-me-downs. But one year, I really made out well. I remember climbing the stairs the day after Christmas with a big stack of gifts from family far and near and thinking how much I just loved every single thing that I got -- and it was plenty. I remember setting the stack on my twin bed, just so pleased with myself and the Christmas I'd had.
Fast forward one year later ... my brothers, sisters and I gently shook the presents beneath the tree in rap anticipation. Secretly we counted the number of presents bearing our individual names. I was alarmed to note that not many were tagged with "Susie," and I remember dealing with that difficult hard-to-swallow sensation, fighting what I wasn't supposed to feel: selfishness. It continued on Christmas morning. My father had been laid off that year and we all received less than the prior year ... and it was hard to handle as a kid. I had complicated and unhappy feelings running through my system, and I remember being alone in the bedroom I shared with my little sister, trying to hold back the mean tears that stung my eyes. I was hurt, forgotten, dismayed and ... selfish.
It is an incredibly difficult feat to prepare kids for less when they have been given everything they want. It seems we have all had plenty for quite a long stretch of time. Perhaps moving forward with less doesn't have to be such a bad thing if it means we will be better to one another and learn what really matters: taking what we need and not necessarily what we want.
The silver lining can actually be quite sweet. In times of economic turmoil we can still give each other little gifts with meaning, and we can still do craft activities and bake cookies and keep our homes cozy. In fact, this is what we should be doing. We should be making our homes as comfortable to be in as possible. We should try to reduce the pressures and strains caused by the world-at-large (and which, economists assure, will only get worse in 2009) and seek salvation at home with the ones we love.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Feliz Navidad, and everything else under the sun means it is appropriate at this time of year to hear the wonderful words of Charles Dicken's Tiny Tim cavorting, "God bless us, everyone!"
Email me your thoughts and suggestions. I'd love to hear from you! susan@daycommail.com
|
|
Printer-friendly format
|
|
