Over It.....

I am officially "over it"..... that is, over all the commercial hype surrounding Christmas.  This year I have gone on strike.  I did most of my Christmas shopping earlier in the year for my two children, so there has been no mad rush to buy presents this year.  Years ago my sister, mother and I made a pact that we weren't buying each other Christmas presents anymore.  None of us really need anything, and our wants can wait until birthdays.  Sure, I've had to buy a few token gifts, my daughter's teacher, my son's daycare Mum.... and a few little things for my hubby from the kids..... but the rest..... well I say, it's not your birthday so why should you get gifts?

Now before you start calling me scrooge..... it's not that I don't like Christmas or that I am too tight to fork out for gifts, just that I think the real meaning of Christmas kind of gets drowned out when we run ourselves ragged to find the perfect gift for everyone we know.  The only people to really benefit are the shop owners.  Having owned a small business for almost 10 years, I know it's important to support them, but I would rather spend money with some purpose to it, rather than with a sense of "having to".

At our house, we celebrate Christmas as Jesus' birthday.  Whilst we recognise that it isn't the actual date, we don't seem to have a problem in this country celebrating the Queen's birthday 2 months late, so what's the difference?  We stick "Happy Birthday" on a Christmas cake, light a candle, and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus.  We go to church, we open presents, we eat prawns....  But we won't be running ourselves ragged doing it.  I want the children to focus on the real meaning of Christmas.

I won't be cooking a single thing for Christmas lunch.  I will buy prawns, chicken & ham already cooked, pre-prepared salads, and anything else I can get my hands on that doesn't require me to do any work.  When I was younger I enjoyed making Christmas treats, but this year, I just can't be bothered.  I also haven't sent out a single Christmas card... I do like getting them, but this year, no cards from us.... No Christmas letter (which I normally spend weeks preparing), no Christmas lights on the house.

We have put up our Christmas tree, and we are playing Christmas music at our house, but with my daughter's birthday on 21st December, it's hard to get into the spirit of it until that's over.  It's been kind of a tough year, so it just feels right this year to take it easy.

If you are reading this, I hope you have an enjoyable Christmas, no matter how you celebrate.  Whether you go all out with all the trimmings, or have a laid back day doing as little as possible, as long as you remember why you are celebrating it doesn't really matter. The birth of a tiny baby 2000 odd years ago who grew up, died on a cross, was raised to life and changed the world is certainly a reason to celebrate in some significant way.

I hope you have a happy, safe and blessed Christmas!