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7 Responses to “Holiday season - joyful or stressful?”

1. daughterofthedean Says:
   December 4th, 2008 at 1:23 pm

   I love the holidays, and don’t mind the commercialism too much. I am a baby-boomer, so I relate to the corny old songs (like the Chipmunks, Rudolph, etc.) and it all makes me feel nostalgic (in a good way). My family doesn’t expect big, fancy gifts so we are able to have a really good time just being together, playing games and enjoying the beautiful weather.

2. touchedelf Says:
   December 4th, 2008 at 2:21 pm

   I love the holidays. But for me, when the weather doesn’t coincide with what is normally expected from stereotypes and memories of years prior, I find it harder to get into the holiday spirit. For example, where I live we are just starting to get weather that would usually arrive in late September/early October. I can’t believe it’s already December 4th. I have no scale with which to gauge things. Christmas decorations started going up in the middle of November! NOVEMBER! I am in complete protest of this new choice. In order to truly appreciate this wonderful time of year it has to be kept within it’s own boundaries. Don’t let Christmas spill into Thanksgiving time! Otherwise we don’t quite know when to start being jolly.

3. Johnny U Says:
   December 6th, 2008 at 12:42 am

   I, too, got caught up in the commercialization of the holidays what with the bombardment of TV ads, radio, the Jones’s. Everywhere you turned it was more and bigger is better and happier. This is just plain bunk. The politically correct crowd says “you have to leave things better for your children.” Why? Did we really have it that bad where we must improve it by going up to our throats in debt and buy things for our kids that will just make them lazier and over weight than they already are? We celebrate now traditionally with family and friends. The family has gotten so big that its impossible to spend money on everyone cause there was 3 birthdays in Nov and 4 more in Jan. So we celebrate the one that truly matters the most, Dec 25th. With all the smells of food cooking, pine needles breathing, and Aunt Marge’s fruit cake dying in the corner, this gets us going. After some family caroling and Johnny Mathis singing his versions of Christmas classics it time to open the gifts. The gifts are from everyone to everyone as each of us take our turn and read a verse from the Bible that they choose themselves. It brings us all closer together and by Dec 28th we are not collecting dust in the closet. May God bless and Merry Christmas to all.

4. Rebekaj Says:
   December 6th, 2008 at 10:21 am

   It sounds like you have a warm, loving family Johnny. That’s really the best gift anyone could hope for. I am sure nobody could create happier memories, no matter how much money they spent. Happy Holidays!

5. kaforeman Says:
   December 7th, 2008 at 12:35 am

   At first I get stressed out as the holidays near, and I think about the responsibility for hosting the big family dinner and buying gifts and getting the decorations up. But then I get past that and focus on the special events that happen only at Christmas. In our town we have a Festival of Lights at the historic Mission Inn downtown and every night the whole block is lit up with thousands of lights and figures of angels, carollers, elves, reindeer, and so on. There are horse-drawn carriages clip-clopping down the streets. There is a wonderful play that our family goes to see every year called La Posada Magica that always makes us cry (and laugh, since it has a lot of humor). This play is particularly special to us because my dad started the tradition of going to see it every year. He first brought my niece with him, then later added my own daughter, my other niece, and so on. Eventually all of us were going. My daughter, now age 18, has been seeing it since she was 7 years old. When my dad passed away in 2002 we wondered if we should still keep up the tradition, and we did, though we sure miss going with our dad. Anyway, I now let myself enjoy Christmas as a time for traditions and special happenings that make the time festive and sparkling with excitement.

6. Martha Says:
   December 19th, 2008 at 5:53 pm

   Growing up, and being the youngest of 7 kids, our house was always full during the holidays. As I got older, there were even more people, with my siblings having children, my mother passing away and getting 2 more brothers and another sister when my Dad remarried.
   We started on Christmas Eve with a big dinner. After we ate, we gathered in the livingroom. We would each choose a Christmas carol and to sing, starting with the youngest person. We would make a wish as a candle was lit and put on the birthday cake for Jesus. When the candles were all lit, we sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Jesus and have cake. Sometimes, we would go around the neighborhood caroling. Our favorite was “Deck the Halls” <<<(get it?? The Halls?)
   Anyway, Christmas morning was always exciting as we had to wait for Dad to get up and hand out the presents.
   Now that my children are all adults, Christmas is a bit different. There isn’t as much anticipation as there has been in previous years. But I still love it! My kids & husband sometimes begrudgingly indulge me as I try to keep some of our old traditions. But they do appreciate it and I can only hope they will keep them going.
   It’s never bothered me that Christmas starts before Thanksgiving. The holidays are what they are for each one of us individually.
   Josh Groban sings it beautifully in the song “Believe”-
   “When you think the magic slipped away, you find it all again on Christmas Day.
   Believe in what your heart is saying, hear the melody that’s playing. There’s no time to waste, there’s so much to celebrate. Believe in what you feel inside and give your dreams the wings to fly. You’ll have everything you need, if you just believe “

7. ayimp Says:
   December 20th, 2008 at 2:24 am

   Martha, it sounds like your kids are lucky to have a mom who cherishes traditions. I’ll bet they do carry them on and pass them along to your grandchildren.

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