Turning the Holidays into More than Just Surviving

I am such the pessimist at Christmas time. I don't mean to be, I just am. The buying of all the stuff really stresses me out. It's just so much. It's TOO much.

As a family we don't have religious reasons to celebrate. We celebrate more as the end of one year becomes another. We celebrate the good things that have happened in this year and look forward to what will happen after December 31. We celebrate family, friends and giving.

I think that one reason we, the Fitzsimmons, continue to celebrate this time of year is that it is special and fun to be a part of something when SO many other people are celebrating. The lights. The traditions. The carols. The luminaries. The anticipation. The unity.

The amount of money we spend on our kids this time of year makes me want to puke, but other than their birthdays, we are pretty strict about not buying toys and crap throughout the year. The kids know this and so they prepare for Christmas months in advance.

They are excited beyond belief and I can't bear to disappoint them.

Sometimes I wish we had never given into all the consumer hoopla but now, there's no going back, now we just have to move forward.

Next year, a few things will change.

For Andy and I, it really is about giving. We don't really buy gifts for each other but rather give what we can to the kids and relatives, whether it is a gift or time given.

Yesterday we made a day trip to visit with family. The look on my grandmother's face when we surprised her through her den window was worth every bit of exhaustion it took to make it there.

With the kids, we talk about giving, and we do give throughout the year to whatever comes up at school to raise money or canned goods for those in need. Jack's class, through a poinsettia sale, raised enough money to make a good Christmas for two families.

Starting in 2011, I want to do what Jack's class did. I want to help support a family in need. Our family to another family. Make it real. Make it count and help my kids see how fortunate we are and truly how lucky we are to not need for anything.

I think that whether you celebrate for religious reasons or any other reason, many of us could do more at Holiday time, at Christmastime, in the spirit of giving.

From this point forward, that aims to be one of my my goals for us as a family.

Holiday giving.