Holiday Halabaloo

As the Christmas season approaches and your stress levels soars from trying to find that perfect gift or identify the ultimate Christmas tree that will make you the envy of the neighborhood decoration competition for the fifth year in a row, here are some things to keep in mind and perhaps to help lower your blood pressure.

No matter what your kids or family say, even if you make them a home made gift instead of a store bought one, they will love you. Chances are, in fact that they will appreciate the effort and thought that was put into the self made marvel that they will cherish it more than that high powered digital i-gizmo that they will loose, break or forget about a month after receiving.

As an aside, I love the holidays. I adore everything about them the lights and the cold air (if you are anywhere above Los Angeles), the smell of a freshly decorated Christmas tree and hot apple cider heating on the kitchen stove. I love the cheerful music (which is rare because I usually enjoy more melancholy tones from my musical selection) and the feeling you get around the Christmas season. Similar to Thanksgiving there are so many things to be thankful for. The fact that you can buy someone a present if you wish to or for the more adventurous or slightly more talented, the ability to make a Christmas gift. be thankful for being able to be near your family, or if you can not that you can pick up a telephone and give them a call, tell them that you love them. The fact that you can build a fire and heat your house, without you electricity bill going any higher than it already will be since your whole house is lite up like the Olympic beacon to name just a few.

Just after Thanksgiving I was contemplating the idea of the Christmas/holiday/Hanuka/Kwanzaa/whatever season and came to the realization that we all take this beautiful festival for granted. We are so consumed in what to get everyone and whether or not they will like what we pick, if we got the best price and whether someone was already going to get that gift for them, that we forget why we even bother in the first place. The furry of the holiday shopping scene and the anxiety that occurs when the store has run out of the high definition large screen jumbo-tron television set that you had been planning on buying that special someone for the last 3 months, is in my mind what really ruins the festivities. I will say again the truth is that if they person really love you, and if they are your family they do (if not that is another issue entirely and I have some special advice for that as well), then they honestly wouldn't care if you got them a pantomime pony or a Polaroid picture, an iPhone or an iLoveyou (I - Love - you just the words for those of you who didn't quite get that one). So when you stress level begin to raise as you shop for your loved ones, remember that it really is the thought that counts and if you have kids, they wont remember next year or even a few months from now what you bought or did not buy them for Christmas. In fact, and possibly most especially since this year has been difficult financially for a lot of families, try softening the blow for the little ones early by telling them that "Santa" had so many new children to send presents to this year that he might not be able to get them everything that they want for Christmas (or if you don't celebrate Christmas an equally fitting statement would do just fine). For the older kids, tweens and teens just explain that it might be or is going to be a meager Christmas as far as presents go. They will understand. If perchance you need consoling because you have just realized that you can not buy yourself or your significant other that lovely shiny something you found in the store months ago, tell your self this, that the day after Christmas it will be at least 20 times less expensive and/or that if you still want it 6 months from now then you will buy it then; that gives you another 6 months to save up for it and if you really want it you will scrimp and save so that you can buy it.

You may ask what I am doing this Christmas or perhaps saying if I am such a big advocate of producing homemade goods why don't I set the example? My answer to you is, I am being the example, I am making homemade gifts for all my loving family. However, because I love to buy Christmas presents for people as well, I am also buying everyone something small to go with their gifts so that I have covered both ends, there by making my Christmas especially non-stressful and taking the time to enjoy the Christmas season.

So as we get closer each day to the season of giving, forgiving, groveling, singing, loving, embracing, caroling, and general merriment having remember to enjoy yourself and enjoy those around you and those you love.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanuka, Merry Kwanzaa, Happy holidays, Happy Christmas, Bonne Noel, Weihnachtstag, and for those of you who do not celebrate any of these or whom I have not listed you winter holiday Merry December Nights!