Pitiful Truth

It has been years since Christmas was enjoyable to me. It has been something I dread. More traffic, rude people, selfishness abound. I pretty much stay out of everyone’s way. I give to something charity every Christmas in an attempt to get to the real meaning of giving, because buying has become more of a necessary chore than a true spirit of giving. There is an unspoken attitude that if you give a homemade or thought out gift you are cheap. I am lucky that my family does not think in such a manner including my wife’s family. So we keep it simple and keep to ourselves.

I long for a simpler Christmas where the saying "it’s the thought that counts" is not just a reaction to placate the feelings of a disappointing gift rather the truth of the attitude itself. It's not about consumerism. I am sure if the Wise men whom the gift giving is modeled after could see what that has become they may have rethought the gift thingy..

J.P.