By: Lacey Noland
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Dear Holiday Season,
Clark Griswold and Family
Where did you go? Honestly. I went with Maris & McClain to the store today to do a quick bit of shopping. Here in the South it’s still sweltering outside and we walked in the front doors drenched in sweat and smelling like “outside funk”. I put the girls in the buggy and walked in to find every red, green, and gold Christmas item you could find in the first aisle of the store. Of course, my daughters thought this was absolutely wonderful because Santa “must be coming down the chimney tomorrow night”. When I explained that it was only October and we hadn’t even made it halfway to Halloween, a complete and utter meltdown began which resulted in my embarrassing walk through the store with two screaming children, one who wore a dress so soaked in tears it was pitiful.
I got in the car and drove home thinking about how sad it has become that Christmas is so played upon during the holiday season and other important events are overlooked. I hate the fact that Halloween and Thanksgiving become one little blip of brown and orange décor in the stores, but even more, not really a big deal to even celebrate. I can remember my grandparents and parents making really big deals of each holiday so that we had wonderful memories of things. We watched Halloween movies and made candy apples and handed out treats from our front door. We also got to CELEBRATE Thanksgiving and sit down, family hand-in-hand, and had a dinner. Together. At a table.
Is it that Christmas has become so much of a shoppers holiday, we don’t even think twice as to focusing on anything else? We need to get the hot ticket Christmas present on the shelf before the next store does instead of thinking about the fact that it’s 95 degrees outside? Retail has gotten so out of hand when it comes to holidays, most people don’t even shop IN the stores and choose to purchase things online – partially because of the chaos of shopping while Christmas explodes all over the store, your buggy, your car, and your budget.
When I found out I was pregnant, I asked my coworkers to give me the best parenting tip they were ever told. My boss chimed in and said he was told when adopting his daughters “to only give three gifts at Christmas to your children because that’s how many gifts baby Jesus received from the wise men”. We have actually held true to that and let me tell you, it has been awesome. It kept Coach and I from overspending, which is so easy to do when big business presses it in your face and makes you feel like less of a parent when you don’t buy 498,975,375,980 toys. Plus, if it was good enough for baby Jesus, then it’s most assuredly good for M&M. It also helps us to focus on spending time together and not running all over town buying and spending. This year we are going to volunteer and enjoy each other, not thousands of gifts.
So Holiday Season, we miss you. All of you. All the Columbus Day fall breaks, the Halloween spooky movies and treats. We miss Thanksgiving and eating til the tryptophan in the turkey knocks us out for the rest of the football games. And Christmas, we ALWAYS miss you because you’re awesome, but in due time. So come on back so we can celebrate!
xoXo,
Lace
