This year we spent the least money ever... as a matter of fact there were 5 presents under the tree. I bought my son socks and underware, Jimmy Carter's new book, and a Beck CD, he bought me a set of flannel sheets. Our big expenditure was a new kitten, 100 bucks for a Maine Coon/Siberian cross with shots and a pan lukemia test thrown in.
I found that the de-emphasis on that one moment of Christmas...ie... openning the presents, made for the best Christmas I have ever had as an adult, with none of the typical letdown. In fact, it even enhanced that moment. I was very happy w/my sheets, as my son was with his presents.
Instead of all the emphasis being on that one moment we put alot of effort into other things. We got our tree from a tree farm we have used for years. Although it requires us to travel several hours we are supporting a family who saved thier farm through growing trees. We are always recognized there, and it feels good to support them...there is a community feeling to it. This year there was a fresh snowfall and a beautiful day, and we arrived in time to ride down on a horsedrawn wagon. We had great fun throwing snow at each other etc... and perhaps we enjoyed it more because we had to pick and choose so carefully what to spend on.
Then there was the kitten, which we got a week and a half before christmas. The night we went to get him was beautiful too, cold and clear. The snow was still fresh and we saw lots of great lights and typical New England scenes as we traveled through lots of dinky Nh towns. He is a delight, not just because he is a kitten, he has a wonderful disposition. Above all, he has been a great reminder that things are just things. No object we could have purchased would have brought us so much joy as he has and does. If we hadn't gotten the kitten we could have gotten more crap under the three, and the typical letdown after as well. Actually, the kitten won out over TIVO, and it was a great decision.
Despite our limited income, we decided to have a bottle of Moet on Christmas Eve, along with the ham rolls I usually make on Christmas day. As we have limited income this was a real treat that took us several hours of savoring to polish off. I even figured out why Champaing flutes are so small, with a great champaign you don't want it to go flat and warm because you are drinking it so slowly to get every bit of flavor.
In short, I have learned that the typical Christmas blues is a product of the commercialism of it. There is the fantasy that "stuff" is the meaning of life and the bringer of happiness, and this fantasy is the strongest at Christmas. Year after year we pour all our effort into chasing this dream which never ceases to fail and let us all down. This year, thanks to very limited funds I was finally able to have a Christmas that didn't disappoint. I am determined to never fall into that trap again, and to remember that openning the presents is just one moment among many during the Chistmas season. If too much emphasis is placed on it everything is spoiled, including the moment itself.
For those who would like to see the kitten;
http://www.interplex.org/
Go down to Olga's litter and open, scroll down to Mars (renamed Aslan is honor of the season).