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Dec. 21, 2006 We celebrate Christmas in our family because I didn't bother to raise my children to practice any particular religion. I decided that since we are of mixed religions, that they should be free to choose whatever they wanted to practice when they got old enough. As a result of this, I get a couple of "Happy Chanukah/Hanukkah" calls and we spend time opening gifts under various Christmas trees at some of their homes. I enjoy it all. What I don't like is the fact that it takes me the rest of the new year to finish paying for the gifts that seem to grow and grow every year. We now have 9 grandchildren and 6 children between us and that adds up. I keep saying that I am only going to buy stuff for the kids but I never keep my own promise to myself. I can't show up on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day empty handed because I love to give presents. That sounds really unselfish and I do enjoy buying things for other people but it renders me broke for a long time afterward and I sit in front of my ever growing list of bills and wonder what possessed me to go nuts again during the holiday period. Christmas and Chanukah are supposed to be about warmth, family and love and even though they are; those emotions seem to be punctuated by trips to various stores to shore up the faith and make the holiday bright....or broke...or whatever the need to over-extend oneself means. I did better this year and mostly bought for the children but the majority of those "children" are now teenagers and they don't come cheap. When I used to be foolish enough to ask them what they wanted I got long lists of devices that cost a fortune and are often not available due to long waiting lists. First, it was a "Furby" and I had to actually consider getting a boot-leg version before I found the real deal at some obscure store. It wound up being the most annoying creature ever invented and when one of the kids got one for ME, the thing wouldn't shut up. It talked and talked and talked and I had to bury it under pillows until it "died" or went into a coma or whatever it does when it's neglected by it's adopted "parent". I still have that horrid creature but he has been silent for a long time (thank God). Then came the "Cabbage Patch Doll" resurgence and once again I had to go searching for the right doll with the right hair color and it cost over $40 dollars. My then 7 year old granddaughter was thrilled and it sits in her closet with all of the other dolls that she no longer has any interest in. I've been through the X-Box phase and a whole bunch of other technical gadgets that I don't understand and I have gone into debt watching games on a screen that horrified me at their violence. Who wants a 15 year old boy to learn how to steal cars? I even saw one where you got points for killing the most police officers. I suppose my age is talking here and maybe these are things that are now acceptable and I am simply too "old school" to understand....I hope that I never understand some of the "toys" that the kids today want to play with. Would that be the correct word? Play? Well, it's almost over and I have bought, wrapped and shipped a LOT of stuff and now I am done. Well, not really "done" because come January I will be reminded of what I spent to get where I am right now. January, February, March, April.....and so on and so forth. The holiday will linger and before it's really over it will be time to start again. Why is it that December is the only month that seems to have a time-span of only a few minutes? It would be nice to get back to the real purpose of this season no matter what people believe, who they worship, or how...it would be nice....and a whole lot cheaper. Time to start my list for next year.....after all, December 25th rolls around faster than the blink of an eye (or at least it seems that way to me). I could swear that we skip from December 26th to December 25th over-night! To all of you here at the UK I wish you the true meaning of the season...peace, goodwill toward your fellow humans, love and companionship and a very happy and healthy New Year. ------------ About the author: Meri has a Medical/Legal background and is a former forensic researcher specializing in psychological profiling. https://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.asp?bookid=27335 Email: writers2@cox.net Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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