Capitalism. Materialism. Absurdism.
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
For the past six months I have been writing for NewbyMom.com.... This is my latest installment.
There’s a lot of “isms” floating around during the holidays, and as American playwright George Seaton pointed out, “One of the worst is commercialism.”
Is it just me, or do you find it a bit disconcerting when it’s not even Halloween and gigantic inflatable Santas take up real estate in local stores? Commercialism is everywhere. And our children are born to think they need everything they see.
So how as parents can we reel in the absurdity of the holidays and simplify to make them more meaningful? For the answer, I often turn to a very determined, yet misunderstood kid from my own childhood: Charlie Brown. In the 1965 animated special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, my favorite protagonist shouts “Isn’t there anyone out there who can tell me what Christmas is all about?” There are lessons in this movie that speak to me, little pearls of wisdom that I have now passed on to my children.
The holidays are not about how much stuff you get. They are about being together and creating new family traditions.
So while listening to the soundtrack from A Charlie Brown Christmas, performed by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, we make holiday cookies together and design and decorate our own ornaments using popsicle sticks. My girls love it when we clear the dining room table, and with glue, glitter, markers, paint and various found objects, they make reindeers, stars, and picture frames. Their creations are displayed around the house and given away as presents. If you think about it, wouldn’t grandma and grandpa rather have something made from the heart than a new pair of slippers?
I teach my children that it is better to give than to receive. It’s a hard lesson to accept when you are 4 and 7 years old and all you see around you are advertisements for toys. So this year, I’m trying something a bit different. I printed out a list of
| Ways to Give Back: |
| Samaritan's Purse www.whale-museum.org Salvation Army www.heifer.org |
My 7-year-old is fascinated with killer whales and has decided to adopt one through the Whale Museum in Washington State. A $35 donation supports wild orca research and conservation. She’ll receive a photo of her adopted whale and I can guarantee that this will mean more to her than ANY gift Santa might bring.
So far, my youngest daughter hasn’t been a big fan of Mr. Claus. I’m using her trepidation to further the stance of it’s better to give than to receive. Instead of toy catalogs, I handed her one from Heifer International and explained that the organization works to end world hunger. She was immediately drawn to a photo of a little boy holding a chicken. For $20, a flock of chicks will now help a family add nourishing, life sustaining eggs to their diets.
These are gifts from our heart. Gifts that give back. Gifts that sustain life.
We realize this season (and for that matter all year long) that Charlie Brown is right. We have a choice when it comes to holiday traditions. You do not have to let commercialism ruin your Christmas.
I hear you loud and clear, Chuck!!
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