It's begining to look a lot like Christmas...

But not the one I was taught about growing up in a Lutheran house hold from Tennessee. Good God loving southern family that we were, we kept in mind what the holiday is supposed to celebrate (for those of you unsure, that would be the birth of the baby Jesus!). Most of you know I'm a Buddhist now and not a Christian. But that doesn't mean I can't be appalled by how the holiday is celebrated these days.

I was thinking about this because I do ALL my holiday shopping on line. Yes, I still celebrate Christmas. It's a holiday I loved as a child, and not just because I got presents-though yeah, that was (and is) totally fun and awesome and stuff. It was because my family was there. And I love my family. My crazy, extra large, semi-eccentric family. If they didn't have a hand in raising me, I would not be the person I am today. Frankly I think that's missing in today's society and I think that's part of what's wrong with us these days. But that's another blog entry entirely.

So anyway, the biggest reason I do all my holiday shopping on line is because I hate the holiday shopping crowds. No one is excited for the coming holiday. The shoppers are stressed out because their kids what the super duper deluxe xbox/wii combo and the store advertised they only had five of them in stock and would sell them for the bargain price of $550! The workers are stressed because they make a bit over minimum wage, had to be at the store at 4:30 a.m. and know that there's only five of those damn super duper deluxe xbox/wii combos in stock and some crazy mother will scream at the top of her lungs at them about how they should make this up to her because her precious son is the only child in the world that really deserves that toy! Oh, and there's a good chance someone will get punched in the face by an angry father who doesn't know why the hell he has to do all this shopping crap in the first place.

I'm pretty sure that I was taught that Christmas was a celebration of the birth of Jesus and a time to reflect on life and enjoy your family and all around celebrate the miracles of life and all that fun stuff. Sounds pretty good doesn't it? Way better that screaming and fighting at and with/around perfect strangers. Christmas is not about stuff. It's about love. That's what I think anyway. That's why I still celebrate it. I like love. In fact, I LOVE love! Who doesn't? Yeah, it's nice to get presents from people. Honestly though, I like Christmas cards. They don't take up a lot of space (I've got a tiny apartment!), and people can be surprisingly honest in them. I like that. Anything I need, I just buy anyway. This year, most people aren't getting stuff from me. They're getting Christmas cards that tell them how much I appreciate having them in my life. They're having donations made in their honor to charities, because some children's parents can't even afford food and shelter, let alone a super duper deluxe xbox/wii combo. Those people need my money rather than stores. They may even get a hug and a Merry Christmas! My family and friends don't need more things. They just need to know they're loved...and they are!

So while you guys where fighting it out to get the coolest toy for your kid, I got the few things I wanted to get for my loved ones online. And I stayed happy, while you got angry. I gave myself the opportunity to enjoy the season. Maybe next year you'll give yourself the opportunity to enjoy it too. Because once you remember what it's all about, it's one of the best days ever! MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!