I feel bad for this, I really do! But for some reason, it just doesn't seem to be the same christmas that I knew when I was younger. It seems that christmas has been hijacked by commercialism and "It's OUR day christians". Everybody has an opinion about what to leave "in" christmas and what to take "out". It seems to me that christmas is now about what everyone else wants it to be about.
I really could not even get into the giving spirit this year just because of the lives of a certain segment of our community. There are so many who have lost jobs this year and are having a really rough time finding work. Naturally, they will have to prioritize and I'm sure there are plenty of kids who will do without to a certain degree. I've been into people's homes and seen the meagerness of their holidays, and it doesn't strike me as being a festive season. Although we have been blessed this year with steady employment and a fairly stable budget, there are those who haven't and I am no better than they are. I haven't chosen to join them per say, but only to deny myself the self-imposed obligation to get people a gift on one particular day of the year when I otherwise would not on any other day.
I simply chose not to go crazy this year. I personally spent less than $100 on gifts; my wife, well that's another story. But, the kids were surprised with some things and genuinely happy with others.
Tonight I will go to work, and will probably go into a home and see that someone else had a meager christmas as well. I will still wish that their circumstances were better, but I will not feel the guilt that would be associated with my extravagance.
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