What’s your Christmas plan?
Are you going to sing songs, put on a sweater, stir up some hot chocolate and be all festive? I certainly hope so.
One thing I certainly hope you don’t do is get silly with the presents. By silly I mean excessive. Every year, much of the build up to Christmas is spent—well—spending. We spend money at every turn and buy things for other people and pat ourselves on the back for being so giving.
But what are we really doing?
We’re giving in to the excessive materialism that our consumer- capitalist society creates (that just made me sound like a hippie… cue the eye rolling). Sure Christmas is wonderful. I’ll be the first to tell you that. But if you really want to give a meaningful gift, don’t rush to the stores to buy things your friends and family will only moderately like.
Instead, give them the gift of your time. Give your mom or dad a coupon for help around the house. Take your grandparents on a date. Go explore an area of wilderness with your friends.
The idea of a present is to forge a more meaningful relationship with the receiver. Fight your knee- jerk impulse to just buy them something, and look outside the box for a way to truly brighten their lives.
As for receiving presents, be honest with yourself. If you catch yourself thinking “There’s not anything I’m dying to have,” then SPEAK UP! Ask for donations to your favorite charity in lieu of a book you’ll never read or a Starbucks gift card. And certainly mention that you’d prefer to spend quality time with the giver than get a few pairs of black socks.
Presents are great for kids. But if you’re old enough to read the word “lieu” then you’re too old for presents. Make a change this holiday season that will make you, and your family actually happy.
By: Brendan Barrack
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