i know, i know... everyone is blogging about christmas now that the wreathes are up on the lampposts and santa is taking numbers at the mall... and i will echo the same ol' refrain that "i can't believe it's here again already"... blah, blah, blah...
when i think about christmas, i think about 3 things: kids, jesus and family... to me christmas is for kids... i remember when i was a little one, sneaking down the hall to my brother's room so we could grab the nearest flashlight and promptly head down to the living room to scope our santa loot... we usually got busted by mom and pop though and desperately tried to get back to sleep for a few more hours until it was acceptable to wake again... there's something about a christmas list full of toys that makes everything so much different... now i struggle to put a few ideas on a page, out of pure request from the 'rents -- who have slowly figured out that as i reached my 20s i became more and more difficult to shop for...
honnestly, i think about jesus because christmas usually means midnight mass... growing up catholic will do that to ya... i admit we've gotten a little lazy over the past few years, but the big man knows we have good intentions...
finally, christmas means family to me... i don't mean to get corny, but since i moved away from home, christmas has become one of the few times when i can spend more than a weekend with the crew... and what better way to spend some time with the fam then gathered 'round morning java in your pajamas, a relaxing afternoon cracking open that new book that was in your stocking and eventually, chowing down on a tasty feast of turkey... since my family has slowly gone their separate ways due to divorce, marriages and distance, it's comforting to know that i can count on at least one time of the year to bring us together... plus this year i'm starting a new tradition: morning with mom, afternoon and dins with pops... there have been very few occasions where i travelled anywhere on christmas day... it's usually a day filled with plenty of pj time, followed by a quick shower and sporting of any new threads...
a few minutes ago i sorta flipped out on my roomie (in a subdued fashion) when she told me that christmas was about asking for those things you want, because that's when it's free... i guess in a way, she's not wrong because that's how many people view the holiday... heck, it's not like i didn't put a completely unnecessary ipod on my list... and i'm not going to rant about how christmas has become commercial -- as i sort of did to her, and by the way, i apologize -- but i do think it's a little sad to see what the holiday has become... we get so caught up in buying so much for each other, when sometimes the most innovative, personal, creative and inexpensive ideas are the best... without trying to sound too poetic, we do all have so much... too much...
maybe christmas isn't about giving or receiving... maybe it's not about anything anymore... maybe it's what you make it... gifts, carols, decorating the tree, cookies, santa... whatever it is, embrace it... and don't let your loudmouth roomie (like me) tell you otherwise...
