’Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la, la la la la …..
I have had this tune singing in my head all weekend! Unfortunately it has been prompted in a slightly sarcastic fashion by the amount of miserable faces I have seen whilst out Christmas shopping! I was at the Grove this past weekend and must have spotted at least 3 or 4 mothers screaming at their kids, in the space of 20 minutes. I was particularly saddened to see several grumpy little girls laden down with bags and dolls from the infamous American Girl store, obviously not appreciating the fact that their purchases could probably clear the national debt.
Even the children leaving Santa’s Grotto all looked rather downcast too, possibly because their parents refused to shell out the extra $25+ to have a souvenir photo with Santa; don’t they realize that reindeer need to eat? No wonder people get stressed out this time of year – it really does seem to be all about spending and keeping up with the Joneses.
My LA family and I have managed to avoid this mad attitude by setting a price limit on gifts each year. Usually its about $20-25 and I have to tell you it is quite a lot of fun and often a lot more thoughtful. It is certainly rewarding when you manage to find the perfect gift without having to break the bank. I still get great use out of the Hawaiian lava rock pumice stone I received one year, and I took great pride in finding a vintage poodle lamp (for my poodle-owning friend) for only $20! This is great if you have kids; they can still get a few extra presents from Father Christmas of course, but try setting them loose with a few dollars at the flea market to gift shop for their family and friends if you have a chance. Most of them will be occupied for hours, weighing up the options and haggling for bargains and then the joy of finding something ‘just right’, will hopefully bring back the real Christmas spirit that seems to be missing out there. I met a child recently who informed me she doesn’t like to buy presents only to receive them, but I think she hasn’t experienced had the pleasure of giving shown to her yet.
I heard some ridiculous statistics on the radio the other day (courtesy of London’s Brent Cross Shopping Centre who polled one thousand 5-12 year olds). In spite of the fact that the majority of children are reenacting nativity plays across the country this time of year, 52% still believe December 25th is the birthday of Father Christmas! Apparently a quarter of the children thought the Three Wise Men found Jesus using Google Maps and my favorite has to be that one in five thought that Jesus played for Chelsea Football Club!
However you spend your Christmas, try not to lose your temper or get overwhelmed by the silly stuff, even if it feels important at the time. So what if the turkey gets ruined, there is always beans on toast!
Have a very Happy Christmas and New Year and I will be back with you in January!
Cheers!
Eileen
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