Well, I was just reading Bonnie's lament that she is in charge of all the Christmas decorating at her house, and dozens of commenters agreed. We don't decorate for Christmas. Firstly, we are not Christian, so it's not our holiday. There are Jewish holidays that people decorate, some, for, but nothing like what the Christians seem to do. In anycase, I don't decorate for any of the Jewish holidays that I could decorate for.
I don't think that this is because I don't enjoy holidays, because I do. But, decoration doesn't seem to add meaning for me. I keep the stuff the kids make, and try to remember to stick it to the walls during the appropriate season, but that is about it. I will have to check in with the kids in twenty years and see if they found their mother's lazy- faire ( snort) approach to be somehow lacking. I do like cooking or buying seasonal foods, like latkes and hamentacshen. I don't like even the idea of having boxes of stuff that I have to keep track of and haul in and out during the year.
I think much of this comes from a very conscious decision I made as a young adult, and that was to Not Freak Out About Every Little Thing. Those of you who know Me in real life know that I have a ways to go on this goal. But basically, I saw a lot of women in and out of my family spend a lot of emotion on making things just so. I see it with brides, I see it with young mothers, I see it ( a lot) with my own mother, and you know, it doesn't make the people around them happy. I would rather that my kids remember that we had lots of art supplies ( that they are allowed to use ) than that my house was clean enough to do emergency surgery in. I would rather my friends never worried about shoes on or shoes off when they come by, just so they come by. ( I am a nut about the use of coasters, but I married into that.) I hope that every day I improve in that regard.
I know that my exposure to death and suffering as a nurse has made me very aware that Stuff is not important. Stuff can be fun, entertaining, useful, or comforting, but at the end of the day it is you and your deity , and the people around you. Rich or poor, we all come here with the same thing and we all leave empty handed.
But Christmas cookies? That I am completely on board for. One hundred and ten percent for the seasonal baked goods. Pass the milk.
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5 comments:
WELL SAID!!!....and i agree with a whole lot of what you said...your right! so far i've only drug out my "pagan" santa collection...a few "fake" poinsettia scattered here and there and that may be it!
Oh my goodness that ending was funny! And lazy-faire--I am so going to quote you first chance I get. That so applies to my decorating capabilities. Thank you. Needles, I can temporarily decorate with yarn quite nicely. Houses with stuff, not so much.
And the stuff just doesn't matter anyway, like you point out. It's the people who do.
Even the one in this household who bought that plastic (gag) tree. Okay, so I'm not totally immune.
p.s. I finally got it! Maukie disappears under the ad a few seconds after your blog opens up. If you close the ad, then you have to hit refresh, and THEN, finally, at last, for the first time in days, I can play with Maukie. Otherwise, after the ad, he just sits there looking stunned.
And my word verification is dorkitor this time. Does that work or what?
Oh GOOD for you!
I am so with you on the decorating scene and the non-importance of stuff. Relationships are what matter. But I do have to say, I am a Christian and I think that much of the decorating is pure consumerism, with little thought to faith, even though it is a Christian holiday.
I am on board with the cookies, too! Just baked molasses ginger cookies last night, YUM!
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