How are you
handling the pre-Christmas hype this year? Are you tired of it yet? Wishing that
Christmas was in the past, already?
To me, that is
the sad reality produced by the glut of advertising foisted upon us this time of
year. Every business that you can think of—and even some that you never
would—all seem to be having Christmas sales, and are begging for your hard
earned cash.
I can only
shake my head as I watch commercial after commercial, the announcers/actors
feverishly pitching everything under the damn sun—and funeral plots too,
so I guess you can include everything under the damn ground, as well.
Really? Yes, I
kid you not. Take advantage of XYZ Cemetery’s special Christmas sale! Act now,
and we’ll throw in a plot for one offspring of your choice at 50% off! Okay, it
wasn’t quite that ghoulish, but you get the idea. Please, you want to scream,
make it stop!!
If you’re
wondering if there’s anything we can do to counter this assault on our psyches,
and to get back the joy—the real true joy of Christmas, I have good news for
you. The answer is yes!
The first thing
you need to do is to turn down the commercials. If you have a PVR I strongly
suggest recording some of the programs you watch, and then fast-forward past
those annoying spots. Or, better yet, turn off the television altogether. Have a
family game night, or two. Listen to music. Everything in life is a choice,
isn’t it? So choose not to allow yourself to be inundated with the horrible hype
of the season.
Now, you want
to get some of that wonderful feel-good Christmas spirit in your heart? There’s
an easy and inexpensive way to do that. Several ways, in fact, and I’m happy to
list some of them for you here.
You can, as I
said, turn off that television and have family time. Or, if you need to watch
the tube, choose something you all can watch together. Make a night of it with
snacks, and beverages, and use the commercial time to talk about what you’re
watching.
The other thing
you can do that I absolutely guarantee will fill you with the holiday spirit is
to give something to someone else.
Every community
has toy drives and food drives at this time of year. Here in Canada, there in
the United States, overseas—that is one thing that is common to all of our
nations. So give.
You don’t have
to give a lot. Here in North America, dollar stores abound. Some toys maybe are
too poorly made for you to consider as good gifts, but every dollar store has
coloring books and crayons, balls, card games, dolls, barrettes and bracelets
and ear buds and calculators—all for a dollar or two. They have scarves and
mittens and hats, too, if you’re in a chilly part of the country.
They also have
cans of soup, 3 for $1. Or you can go to your local grocery store and buy a few
tins of food. Tuna is good, as are vegetables, soups, and pasta. You could
purchase jams, and honey and cheese spread. Peanut butter is a good bet as well,
because it is high in protein. You can get jars of baby food, boxes of pabulum,
or even boxes of regular cereal.
Maybe you can
only spend $5. But that $5 can go a long way, especially if everyone you can
think of gave $5. Can you imagine? I’ve said it before and I will say it now,
and likely again at some point in the future. If everyone who shopped at your
grocery store bought 1 thing for the food bank, your local food bank would
overflow!
You don’t have
any money? Then do a good turn for someone. Shovel a driveway, help carry
a bag, hold a door open. Life is filled with opportunities great and small for
you to do good. All you have to do is take your eyes off yourself and put them
on someone else.
Take your eyes
off of yourself, and put them on somebody else!
If you want the
Christmas spirit, and it’s missing in your life, then create it by helping
someone in need. It really doesn’t take a fortune, or a wealth of
time.
It really only
takes a determination to make a difference, and the decision to do
so.
Love,
Morgan
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