Dec 06 2008
Holidays Over 50
I don’t know about you, but my view of holiday celebrations has certainly evolved in the 50+ years I have walked this earth. Of course the excitement of childhood holidays can be expected to change and mature as the idea of Santa Claus gives way to the practicality of working for a living in order to earn the money needed for holiday gift buying.
But, it’s more than that. I no longer want to be the recipient of holiday gifts. I feel as if my life is so full and rich that it is almost an embarrassment for me to accept gifts, especially from people who have far greater needs in their own lives than I have.
Today, the holidays are a time when I look at the world at large and wonder, “just what have I done to justify my time and place on the planet?” I don’t want to reach the end of my life and feel that all I did was take up space and use valuable resources.
Commercialism has turned the holidays into a huge “entitlement feast” where the main goal is to determine what “I” want and what “I” need to have to complete myself. I don’t think this was the original intent.
Do you have special ways of commemorating the holidays? How do you share the spirit of the season so that others are enriched by your presence in their lives? Drop an e-mail and share the special feelings of this season.
