Comments on: The Devolution of a Family Christmas

By: Laurie Carlson

Laurie Carlson — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 02:57:00 +0000

I want to mention one more thing! I am a book blogger who writes reviews on books! I LOVE it! Anywho . . . I have been reading a LOT of Christmas books, right down to “Twas the Night Before Christmas”, and have been enjoying it immensely! Just thought I would put this out there and remind everyone to read this season! There are some GREAT stories, poems, books and MORE! That helps you feel that ‘special’ part of the season! A nice way to escape from life and read about others;!
I have a Kinde. I have bought MANY Independent Authors’ books this year! That is a GREAT way to give back, too! They have gone through ALL this work, effort and time they put into writing a holiday book to make us feel GREAT!
Or another thought. SO MANY kids DON’T READ today! Give a kid a book this year! It is ONE thing that will stay with them for a LONG time after ALL the other toys fall apart! It might still be on that bookshelf, 15 years later, but they WILL read it one day!!! That can make that gift even MORE special than any other!
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and ALL the other greetings to be politically correct!! (LOL!)

By: Laurie Carlson

Laurie Carlson — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 02:47:00 +0000

I think as we get older and as our families change, our traditions change accordingly. I think it’s that simple. I’m divorced and have 2 kids, but they have to live with their Dad because I had a neurological disease manifest itself ENTIRELY on my body at 37 and could no longer care for them on my own. He took me to COURT to take the kids AWAY from me!!! Out of depression over that, my Christmas traditions have SO changed. My now husband, who I met 4 MONTHS AFTER leaving my ex, is WONDERFUL!!! Although, he could really care less about a tree and ALL the other stuff that goes with it. He has no children and has NEVER wanted any, which is fine. I can’t have any with my illness, but, I sure DO MISS MINE!!! This year, I don’t have ANY inclination of wanting to decorate the house at all! But I believe that is coming from trying to create NEW traditions for ‘myself’ WITHOUT my children. Yes, they ‘do’ come over here and there, my 14 year old MUCH MORE than my 18 year old, but . . . they spend time with me NOTHING like they do with their Dad. It hurts me. I’ve tried EVERYTHING to recapture the Xmas traditions with them, and THEY DON’T CARE! I also lost my mother 1 year ago from this last September, and without her, the holidays have NOT been the same. She ‘MADE IT HAPPEN’!!! OH, HOW IS MISS HER!!!!
So, NOW it is up to me to decide what traditions “I” want to make for ‘me’! Honestly, physically, the “THOUGHT” of ‘trying’ to get the stuff out to decorate with is a HORRENDOUS thought! I am thinking if I keep the TV on the movie stations that play Christmas movies ALL day, that is Christmas enough this year!!! LOL!!! Honestly, I think that IS all I AM going to do this year! My heart is NOT in it this year. Also, the THOUGHT of being SO tired out from ‘trying’ to decorate is NOT a good reality to think of!
Religiously it IS like someone mentioned, and I apologize for not remembering ‘who’ it was as I have read SO many articles on Christmas lately, but they mentioned ‘organized religion’ being a pain, which I AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY!!! Jesus NEVER meant for there to be SO MANY ‘organized’ religions, just to be a Christian! To LOVE THE LORD, OUR God, with ALL our heart!
Today, to ‘just’ go to church is a HUGE undertaking as they want to recruit you, and I DON’T WANT THAT!!! WHY can’t I just go to one IF AND WHEN I WANT??? ALL these religions have ALL these man made RULES!! Personally, I DON”T AGREE WITH “MAN” MAKING THE RULES! Don’t get me going on Cathololism!!! (Apologize for the misspelling) The Pope – GEEZE!!!
We need to model after Jesus and NOT man! Therefore, as a NON church goer because of the”We MUST recruit you and SAVE your soul” thing,, I am ONLY going to focus on the word of GOD!!! NOT MAN!!! I don’t need decorations for that!
Thanks for the article!
I’ll write back IF I DO decorate!!!
And, I agree with the comment from Jeanne! Thanks! NOT enough emphasis on “people”, but on ‘things’!
My kids EXPECT things. They EXPECT TO ‘GET’. Have they EVER thought about a CARD for me? ONE LITTLE TOKEN OF LOVE FOR MOM????? I have NEVER expected a gift from them, and don’t want one, but a ‘little’ thought of appreciation for me would be nice! They are SO into themselves!! Do NOTHING for anyone else??? Have NEVER done something ‘just because’. NO. This puts a damper on the thought of Christmas for me as well. KIDS, ALL kids, get with the program!! The saying, “Jesus is the REASON for the SEASON”!!! Think about it!!! DO IT!!! DON’T EXPECT!!!
Imagine if EVERYONE did this, what a WONDERFUL WORLD THIS COULD BE!!! IMAGINE!
You know, THAT is my focus this year!!! Others and JESUS IS THE REASON!
This article and these comments have helped me decide on one of my kids’ Christmas presents this year! A DONATION TO A CHARITY IN THEIR NAME!!!! It may take 10 YEARS for them to ‘get it’, so it does. Thanks to EVERYONE here!

By: Jane

Jane — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 21:41:00 +0000

I feel your pain, Jeanne! One of the reasons I dropped out of the family Christmas celebrations (it might still go on for all I know) is that I couldn’t stand the stress of gift-giving.

By: Jane

Jane — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 21:39:00 +0000

Two things that Jews do on Christmas: go to the movies and eat Chinese food (does that include MooShuPork?)!

Your response, though, confirms my sense that a partner is needed for a good celebration of either holiday. Maybe next year you can introduce me to a Merry Hanukkah.

By: Jeanne

Jeanne — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 21:05:00 +0000

I really love Thanksgiving–all the family, food and fun but without of the stress of what to buy who and how much to spend. Christmas feels symptomatic of all that’s wrong with America–too much (bad) food, too much spending, too much emphasis on things instead of people. And, like a good grandma, I try to keep those thoughts to myself for the most part. Thanks for giving me a safe place to vent!

By: Joanna Jenkins

Joanna Jenkins — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 04:24:00 +0000

We’re all Hanukkah all the time in our home since I’ve been married so on Christmas we order in Chinese food or go to the movies.

I grew up in a Christmas family– with all the bells, whistles and mangers. Mom worked really hard at making sure we understood “the meaning of Christmas” but was very understanding when I became a practicing Jew and followed my husband’s conservative traditions.

No trees allowed here. So I packed up my multiple closets full of Christmas decorations, collected since I was a child and well into my 30s, and sent them off to my just divorced brother who begged me to STOP– He lived in a 1 bedroom apartment and I’d pretty much filled it up with holiday stuff.

Now we light the candles every night (I pulled out the menorah this morning) and I sing along with the Christmas carols on the car radio. It works out pretty good. I think it’s way easier too, since I don’t have kids.

Merry Hanukkah Jane.

xo jj

By: Jane

Jane — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 23:19:00 +0000

Laur,
Do you remember the Christmas we made Godseye’s as presents? We were so crafty in those pre-Martha days.

By: Shani R Ferguson

Shani R Ferguson — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 23:18:00 +0000

Shani,
Your mother was one of my compatriots in the celebrating of Christmas. I remember the year we actually went to St. Paul’s for Midnight Mass. As for O’Reilly et al, who? oh, that jerk. Never read, listen or pay him any mind.