So this Christmas was very different than those in the past. First, for me, this was the first year not to be with my family at all around Christmas. Second, Christmas is a time for giving, right? Well we weren't able to give anyone anything this year. Both of these things (along with the fact that I worked Christmas eve and day) left me feeling a bit like Scrooge.
First to come to terms with not being with my family, I had to remember I spent a long Thanksgiving weekend with them only a month ago. Plus we got to go to Dothan (first time for me) to visit Ryan's family and had a great holiday meal the weekend before Christmas. Plus, Ryan and I had a great Christmas morning with the dogs before I went to work and a great Christmas dinner when I got home from work, okay... family time covered.
Now, for the whole lack of gift giving. As we examined our finances over the last couple of months along with the priority of one last semester of school to pay for, we decided we wouldn't be able to do any Christmas shopping this year. At first, I was very upset; I love finding the "right" gift to put a smile on someone's face. But as I sat back and watched all of the fuss over Christmas shopping and how much people would spend in this poor economy, and how packed all the stores were from Black Friday until Christmas eve, and the death that occurred during a shopping stampede and the fact that shoppers were actually angry that the store closed long enough to have the body carried away, it came to me that giving should be less about the material items and more about time, thought, and love. Yes, maybe it's cheezy, but it really is a bit disgusting to sit back and watch the fuss over getting the biggest, best, newest gifts each year. If you have the money, fine, buy it, but don't put yourself deeper into debt just to give your kid a toy that will be covered in a pile of old toys and dust by February. The time spent shopping and making extra money for the gifts could be put toward more time with family getting creative around the house, taking a weekend vacation, or volunteering to help others in need, which would create memories and values lasting much longer than February. I'm not saying that I will never Christmas shop again, but I know that I will put more thought into the gifts that I may buy and hope that I won't sacrifice time with family to stand for hours in lines for gifts that have no meaning.
Okay, now as I step down from my Christmas shopping soapbox, I want to post a few pictures of our dogs (the closest thing to children for now) enjoying their gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Wood. Christmas time really is about moments with the ones we love. Ryan and I are so thankful for the gifts we received from family and wish we could have done more in return, but the important thing is that we have each other and we have wonderful families standing behinds us and supporting us in all that we try to achieve. When moments with these families are scarce, we realize the importance of time spent with the ones we love and hope to never take those moments for granted.
We hope you had a very Merry Christmas and wish you the most happiness in the new year.
-Melissa
