This is always a peaceful time of year for us. Our daughter is grown now, but even when she was little our Christmases were low-key and meaningful.
Mostly we only exchange presents with one another and with our daughter and her family, but we share cards, letters, pictures and phone calls with friends and the rest of our families. What about you? Is your holiday season quiet and peaceful? Busy and happy? Overly busy? Please share your experience in the comments section.
Photo by Sister72 via Flickr. Creative Commons license.
Thanks to everyone who commented this past week: Ellen, bikhikebabe, Peter, Tracey and Adebola.
Hi Jean – I would have to say that the holiday season is one of the most stressful, because I feel the pressure of getting the right gift for people. The thing about it is, the stress is all worth it.
The stress builds up all the way up to the last shopping day (actually, the last shopping minute!), but when it comes time to exchange gifts, I see how it makes the people who I care about very happy. The stress is a small price to pay for that moment.
Ahh.. this is going to be a long answer…
Because over here in the Netherlands, we have a really strange tradition.. Beginning of December, we have our own thing. It’s called Sinterklaas (pronounced, yes indeed, almost the same as Santa Claus). He’s a very old man, coming from Spain, celebrating his birthday in the Netherlands, and giving all kids lots of presents. He arrives about three weeks beforehand, during which period children can receive small gifts in their shoes.. Presents are often accompanied by some prose, indicating whether or not the child has been good…
Yes, yes, similarities are huge! This is a strong tradition, which is celebrated nationally (his arrival is broadcasted on national tv), in the schools, and of course, in the shops.
So, the first weeks of december are quite stressful for the kids, and already involve lots of presents…
The last decades, more and more families prefer celebrating christmas, with ‘Santa Claus’. I do too, since it is more of a giving thing for the whole family, instead of having only the children receiving. For Christmas, we buy each other presents, so my children learn to give, as well as receive..
Still, the combination of the two traditions is still an inconvenient one..
But even more, it is a time of reflection, of enjoying time with the entire family, of being together after an incredibly stressful month.. Of making sure in the month filled with new toys, my kids feel and understand the true value of Christmas
Of course also sending and receiving cards, and happy wishes.
And of course, my warm wishes to you too Jean!
Loving, peaceful and happy holidays!!
Ellen
Jean,
Thanks for bringing this up. I now prefer having a low-key Christmas. Just me since I am not married yet. I will spend this one with my fiancee and see where we can go to.
Merry Christmas in advance and regards to your family.
🙂
We used to cut the biggest tree, put every decoration we’ve bought & kids made including the ragged Kleenex angel on top, on that tree. Now we don’t do gifts. We send the kids (long gone) money and buy what we want during the year. No tree, no buying gifts & postage, no stress. We got one present that I put on the floor under the imaginary tree. We’ve gone with the kids to Alta or Aspen to ski which sort-of skips Christmas.
There is no filter between my brain & what my fingers type. 🙂
Hey Jean, my Xmas seasons are always quiet and restful. It doesn’t make me many friends, but I tend to avoid Xmas gatherings and stuff like that. Sometimes I just wanna sleep in! Plus its hot in Xmas down here in Australia, just wanna sit in front of the air-con. 😀
Cheers,
Albert | UrbanMonk.Net
Modern personal development, entwined with ancient spirituality.
Al,
How many people do you buy for? When my daughter and her cousins were young I had a lot more shopping to do. I tried to do it over the course of the year and had everything sent off before the end of November. Then December could still be a peaceful time.
The one time I remember being stressful in a nice way was when I bought my daughter a watch that I knew she would love. I bought it two months before Christmas and was counting the days until she could open the present. The downside of planning ahead!
I still buy and wrap presents early, and sometimes I’m as surprised as my husband at what I bought him. 🙂
Ellen,
I agree with you, I think it’s healthy for kids to give presents too. My happiest Christmas as a kid was when my sister and I first started giving presents to the adults in our extended family. I still remember some of the things we bought.
I sympathize with you on the two traditions you have to deal with.
Adebola,
It will be interesting to see how your Christmas changes now that you have a fiancee. My husband used to work on Thanksgiving and Christmas until my daughter was born. He was doing research in particle physics and it was easy to get accelerator beam time during the holidays. Children make a big difference at Christmas.
bikhikebabe,
Yes, things change a lot when the children grow up and have their own families. Then it’s easier to do whatever suits you.
Albert,
I was in Sydney a few weeks before Christmas once, and it did seem strange to see the Christmas tree in the hotel in the middle of summer. I agree that if you don’t have a family, just do whatever works for you.
Thanks, everyone, for commenting. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.
Hi Jean – I buy presents for myself and for my immediate family only. My circle isn’t that big, but it’s pretty tight.
That’s a pretty funny story about buying presents so early for your husband you forgot what it was! Must be a little stressful trying to stash away presents for a long time, hoping it won’t get discovered.
Hi Jean,
thanks! It not that big a deal though, it just makes it a busy month, a month in which I have to watch out for not spoiling my kids… But, at the same time that makes it even more a month of teaching them to give and to share.. And for myself, to be aware of the need to sit back, contemplate, and enjoy.
Because, in the end, that’s what Christmas to me is all about, to share with loved ones, to cherish what we have, and once again, remember the importance of peace. Peace in our own hearts, and peace in the world!
sorry.. I started the previous comment because I wanted to tell how much I adore that lovely picture you posted, and yet, completely forget to mention it (I really don’t think I’ve reached that peaceful state of mind yet ;-))….)
thanks!!
Wonderful days to you too!
I was reading my comment back a few people. By filter I meant, you don’t write anything that would hurt someone or be offensive. But sometimes I think what I say is too revealing of myself and “off the wall”. Ellen (in the Netherlands), that’s American slang for crazy (which is also slang). But I’m being honest.
Ellen,
🙂 I’m glad you liked the picture, too. Sister72 took it December 25, 2005…I wouldn’t have thought of it as a Christmas picture, but it’s just perfect.
How old are your children? It’s hard to instill good values when our larger society is trying to turn them into good little consumers to keep the economy going. But as you say, it’s also a great opportunity to get in touch with our own values and to teach them.
My guess is the best gift you can give them is for you to step back and take some of the contemplation time you need. I came across a site the other day that said the best gift she’s trying to give her children is the experience of stillness. What a wise, but revolutionary, idea.
When my daughter was little she shared in buying and wrapping presents for her cousins and grandparents. In late October we would put on Christmas carols and she would decorate tissue paper with Christmas stencils and colored markers. We used that for the wrapping paper. Then we sent them off around the end of November and ignored Christmas as much as possible except for going up in the mountains as a family and cutting down our little tree.
She always had a stocking from Santa Claus, but from the start the majority of the presents were from loved ones. And most of the presents were practical things like clothes. She received some toys, but one of the biggest presents was always a kit that she and my husband put together. So our focus was on family time. I would love to hear what you’re doing.
bikehikebabe,
I wouldn’t worry too much about using slang. Mostly we can figure out new words from the context. And if not, we can always ask. The main thing is to keep commenting. 🙂
Al,
I’ve never had a problem with presents getting discovered. The problem for a while was forgetting about them, buying some new ones and then discovering the old ones months into the new year. I’ve learned to wrap them with name tags as soon as I buy them, then save them all in one place so I can find them when Christmas comes. 😉
It’s Christmas morning, and my kids are euphoric. We’re all relaxing at the kitchen table, with daddy blogging and them making “cookies” out of their new Play-Doh with a rolling pin and Christmas cookie cutters.
Our Christmas has been delightful. Hope yours has been too!
Bob,
Thanks for the heart-warming image…I’m smiling as I write this. Christmas certainly is different when you have young children around. My husband and I had a good time, too, but it is different without the little ones.
bhb… i always enjoy your comments! i don’t think you reveal too much. at least you do it honestly… so refreshing in these “politically correct” days!
christmas in this country (and maybe in many others) is very like a sacred cow. if you don’t celebrate in the traditional ways, there MUST be something wrong with you!
i haven’t celebrated in a traditional way in years and yet each christmas i enjoy the twinkly lights (on the streets and in windows) and the music and the corny shows on tv… and i sometimes eat a meal i microwave, or sometimes i just cook up a good pot of beans and eat cornbread.
this year will be hard. my sister-in-law just died two months ago, so maybe my brother and i will hopefully spend it together. many losses through the years in my family. it is so small now that the holidays tend to take on “just another day-ness.” but that is okay. not complaining at all! much more relaxing and less trauma than most!
love and blessings for the coming season to all who have commented here in the past. i am just catching up!