Well, I'm a day late!! I have been so busy trying to get us ready for a very long Christmas road trip, so I wasn't able to get anything posted for the Cafe Chat. But, as they say, "better late than never".
The question was "Why do you think so many people are stressed out during this time of year? What advice would you give them (or yourself) to help de-stress?" My answer to this may sound very simple, almost too simple. The reason that I think that people are so stressed out at this time of year is because they have simply lost sight of the true meaning of Christmas. Not only have they lost sight of "Christ", who is the reason and the meaning of Christmas, but they have also given themselves over to the beast of commercialism. I know that some people in today's world are offended by a statement like this, but I'm sorry. Times have been much simpler in the past, families have been much closer and the world was much better off for it.
The best way I know how to illustrate this is just to go back two generations, maybe three, in my family. I have a book that I gave my grandmother when I was about eleven years old. It was called "Grandma's Story". The book was filled with pages that allowed my grandmother ("Nanny") to illustrate her entire life for me and for those after me, so that nothing would be forgotten or lost. Once she filled the book out in it's entirety, she gave it back to me as a gift.....and oh, what a precious gift it was. Aside from the ring that she left me, it is one of my most treasured possessions of all time. There is nothing that can replace the content of those handwritten pages, written in her most beautiful handwriting. I promise, I'm on the way to the answer to the questions...stay with me here. The times that Nanny wrote about were incredibly similar to the times that we live in now. They were in a depression....we are in an economic crisis. They didn't always know where the next meal would come from....we have people lined up at food pantries. But at Christmas....regardless of the circumstances of the times, you would never hear my Nanny frown on her memories of Christmas (or really any other time). The reason why is because they always made each holiday so special.....they made it with what they had. In fact, just at the sheer mention of Christmas "back in the day", you would see Nanny light up like a Christmas tree in the town square. The reason that she lit up is because the memories were so fond. They were not stressed, because they had each other. My Nanny had 5 other siblings, so my Great Grandma Smith had her hands full when it came to the children. My Great Grandpa Smith worked and provided what he could. It may not have been wealth, but they made it work. They always MADE it. They grew vegetables and always had some on the table. They put up vegetables during the summer so that they always had a plenty pantry during the winter. They hand made their gifts to each other, they sewed, they made blankets, they did so many things that didn't require too much dependence on the merchants of the times. They made pomander balls so that they could given them as gifts or put them in their handkerchiefs to sniff and keep from smelling bad street smells. They made dolls from handkerchiefs and baby doll furniture from scrap wood. They cut scrap paper and made paper dolls. They made tops to spin, they whittled toys to play with. They made homemade pralines, homemade divinity and fabulous fruitcakes. They slaughtered a pig...they had ham, bacon and all the trimmings. Did you notice yet that I haven't mentioned that they were stressed during any of this? That's because they really weren't. They always made a way.
That same standard was passed on to me...and I KNOW what it means. We didn't have the easiest time growing up over the years, but God ALWAYS provided what we needed and His hand was always on us....even at Christmas. So for me now, in these times, I am content in making what I can, be generous with a meal or contribution to a party. I made our Christmas cards this year from some scrapbooking stickers, some plain cards and some labels printed on the printer. I used what I had so that I could put more of a special touch on each card.
The advice that I would offer to anyone wishing to de-stress at the Christmas holiday time would be to stop. Look back. What were the traditions of the past generations? How can you make those traditions relevant to the time now. What is absolutely necessary to buy and what is frivolous....cut out the frivolous. Make something handmade for those you want to give presents to. Put something special in it that is a reminder of the past....just make it special. Most of all, remember that Jesus Christ is the reason for Christmas to begin with. If He were going to be at my doorstep for Christmas dinner, my main concern would be spending as much time with Him as I could possibly squeeze out. I wouldn't want to miss a minute. I would love to serve Him some of my favorite Irish Breakfast Hot Tea, some great Southern biscuits and jelly and sit under some warm blankets and just soak up His presence. My time with Him would have nothing to do with anything bought in a mall or an outlet. It would be simply.....TIME SPENT.
Labels: Saturday's Cafe Chat
