'Tis the Season

At first I thought I'd put up my revised Christmas list to kick off the December month of blogging (who cares that it is the 3rd already). Just a few short posts ago, I'd only wanted four things. Over Thanksgiving, my family chose names for secret santa. Combine this with listening to Jason's wish list to his family for their secret santa and suddenly my list grew from 4 unattainable wishes to 9 wishes, some attainable, some not. It dawned on me how lame a post that would be before I did it (phew). Who cares what I want for Christmas? And though my list may help others who find themselves at a block in what they may want themselves, I just don't have the heart to be a catalyst for consumerism this Christmas (beat that alliteration, FC). If you celebrate Christmas, it is not (only) about wanting and gifts. And any way in which I can remind myself of this during the next month, I'm going to take it.



On Saturday, Jason and I went on a drive to Concord MA to look for a Christmas tree. We decided to get a living tree, so we could plant it later and be replenishing the tree supply instead of diminishing it. And more than just that hippy BS, the tree will last longer than a cut tree. We could have this tree in our house until Christmas '08. True dat. To decorate our apartment and the tree, we made everything, including a cheesy string of popcorn we used as a garland on our mini tree. I had a string of lights we put around the living room, and we made paper cranes as ornaments for the tree. We even did the old school construction paper chain link to drape atop a door frame. Jason also created a very avant garde piece of holiday art with some pine boughs and bittersweet (as seen above). All in all, this holiday...day was a full day event. So not only did we get in the spirit (and not THAT kind of spirit, geesh) but we spent time together. We listened to Christmas music, shared some stories about our family traditions, and just had a silly time.

Another thing I like to do to flout the Buy Everything New mentality of the Christmas season is to not buy wrapping paper. I use old newspapers to wrap most gifts. Some people might think this looks trashy, but to set off the some what dull nature of newspaper, I usually create a neat bow or center piece for the top out of things I find outside (ie pine cones, bittersweet, and sometimes neat trinkets I pick up). Sometimes I attempt reusing already used gift wrap if it is not too wrinkly. People can still tear the paper off gifts excitedly because bigger or smaller pieces can be used according to the next gifts size. I just read from Gruppie Girl's blog that if everyone used some sort of recycled material for only 3 gifts it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields. Wow. Try to picture that again - 45,000 football fields...Her idea of using cloth gift bags is probably easier to accept than my newspaper one.

Choosing a secret santa method for exchanging family/friend gifts is also a money saver AND a hippy idea. Fewer gifts are bought, more thought is put into that one gift (hopefully) and the focus is less on the present, leaving more time for...other holiday traditions like eating. And eating. And eating some more. Again, my family is not huge on straying from the eat, movie, game strategy for holidays, Christmas no exception. On Christmas Eve we gather with my mother's side of the family (the not estranged ones and sometimes some of them show up and EVERYONE feels the uncomfortable-ness) to eat and do a Yankee Swap. Christmas Day my immediate family (parents, brothers, me) have a big breakfast and open gifts together. This has changed slightly now that my brothers' have wives. They now usually spend Christmas Eve with us and Christmas Day with their other family.

During Thanksgiving when I heard my first Christmas music, I began to dread and loathe the holiday spirit and season. But I don't want to be a grinch! I LOVE celebrating and decorating and honoring traditions. Before turning green and getting my face frozen in an evil grin and stealing other people's presents, I decided I had to see my own values in this holiday. To RECLAIM Christmas for myself so I could be joyful and present in this special time of year. Because really, we're talking about more than buying stuff and decor here - it's about the birth of Jesus. I am not a Bible wielding Christian right wing conservative. However, I like to believe there was a man named Jesus who did great things. Perhaps he did not walk on water or change one loaf of bread into twenty, but I think he did tremendous things that appeared as miracles to the eyes of people who were starved for something to believe in. He seems like an exemplary human being, one we could all strive to be a little more like. I was reminded of this aspect of Christmas when Jason came in to put the little wooden cross you can see on the tree. He said, "We can't forget to have a little bit of Jesus for the tree too." Spoken like a true wise man.

So bring on the holiday lovin'. I decided to include a soundtrack to my holiday season in case people are getting sick of hearing the same old Christmas music over and over again because seriously, I can't listen to Deck the Halls in 10 different versions for the next 31 days. I don't know about you.

All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey
O Come O Come Emmanuel - Sufjan Stevens (and ALL of his Christmas music. get past the "depressing" bits - IT'S WORTH IT!)
Deck the Halls - John Denver and the Muppets
The Christmas Song - Mel Torme
Carol of the Bells - Barenaked Ladies (no words)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Barenaked Ladies
Sleigh Ride - Barenaked Ladies
The Holly and the Ivy - Mediaeval Baebes
Christmas in Hollis - Run DMC
The Little Drum Machine - Beck
Frosty the Snowman - Fiona Apple
Holy Holy Holy - Sufjan Stevens


Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas!