After 72 Christmas celebrations, you would think that I would have Christmas all figured out. But I do not. Does it strain relationships? Of course it does. It doesn't have to, but it does. I was at Costco this morning. It opens at 10:00 AM. The parking lot was full at 10 and no doubt it will be full all day. There was a rumor, by one christian group, that the whole tradition is about celebrating the birth of Jesus, some 2,000 years ago more or less. I did not get him one gift, or anyone else for that matter. Other religions have different explanations.
Santa Claus is for the children. A nice story that we explain a few years later we just made up to have some fun with. The same situation exists with the sleigh and the 8 tiny reindeer that fly through the sky. There is a north pole, but despite The Miracle on 34th Street, Santa does not live there. I do not know anyone who roasts chestnuts around an open fire and Rudolph does not lead Santa on a foggy night.
And despite all this, I love Christmas and when I am with my family it brings tears of joy to my eyes. It is truly a wonderful life and the stories of people that help others at this time of year trumps all the stress associated with the season.
Each year I become more minimal and believe that greatest gift of all is still the gift of time. If you have some, give it to someone you love. They most likely need it. It is the one gift that you can not buy more of.
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