Stuff

by Julia Graves

I heard on the news the other day that stores are going to be marketing their Christmas merchandise earlier than usual this year in the hopes of stimulating people to start shopping to improve the economy. I walked into a local big box store and was surrounded by Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas merchandise. I was surrounded by stuff, rows and rows of stuff.

This made me think of how much of this stuff I really needed. It also made me think of what I wanted to spend money on for my family as gifts for the holidays. Did they need a giant stocking or ornament? A musical snow globe that played seasonal music? Another one of those or that? How much of it was just needless stuff?

Then I began to ponder about the financial situation of my family and their ability to buy gifts for other family members. How much guilt were they feeling to produce the perfect gift? I asked myself would all this consumerism make a better holiday season for us or would it put us in a financial strain and cause unnecessary stress? What is the reason for the season?

I decided to call my family and discuss the situation. We decided we would rather exchange handmade baked goods such as cookies and breads. We would also have a potluck meal together. The point was to spend time together as a family enjoying a meal and each other's company. It was not about exchanging store bought gifts. We also discussed contributing to a charity such as a soup kitchen for Thanksgiving and Christmas to help feed people less fortunate than ourselves.

Now as I do my weekly grocery shopping I look at the seasonal stuff of the shelves and smile. I know my family will be exchanging gifts that we made with time and love and given from the heart.

As we begin to prepare for the celebration of the holidays, may we remember it is about gathering together to give thanks. Sometimes less is more.