Have you ever thought about how we jump from one holiday to another? It has gotten so bad in the past few years that Christmas is promoted before Halloween is even over. And Halloween - well, it never used to be such a big thing, but now, people decorate for the holiday with almost as much gusto as Christmas. I don't get that, given that most of those folks are believing Christians too.
I was shopping at Wal Mart yesterday, hoping to find some seat covers and a divider to keep Robbie in the back of the vehicle, but had no luck. Easter decorations and candy was on sale for 50% off, but right next to all that was Mother's Day! The big stores, and the small, push us to buy, buy and buy more. Have you noticed how decorating colours for Christmas are red and green one year and blue and purple the next? Toss out the red and green old fashioned, out of date decorations and get some new ones. Toss out the made in China cheap plastics and new ones are readily available and affordable.
But none of it means anything anymore.
I am old enough to remember making decorations for the Christmas tree. When my children were small, so was our income. The tree was festooned with little salt dough, hand painted characters, strung popcorn and candies on threads. There were lots of paper chains and kid made decorations everywhere and few if any made in China. Every item on the tree had a memory associated with it and was kept for the next year, until one year the moisture disintegrated the salt dough ornaments and they melted into the paper ones and all had to be tossed. We were saddened because there was some meaning to the decorations.
Each holiday gives us a chance to celebrate something important to our families. For those who believe in religious holidays, there should be some significance in the festivities. For the rest, it is a chance for families to get together and share valued time. But the meaning of a holiday is not in the giving of gifts, eating of chocolates and candies made from GMO sugar beets, and laced with fructose and other horrible things, or the cheap, insignificant decorations. There should be more to it.
Let me urge you to stop being caught in the trap of holidays. I know women who feel they have to make huge meals, bake for days and spend hours upon hours cleaning and decorating for each holiday. They are exhausted and when the day is done, wonder why they continue to do it. Society is pressuring women in particular. Men tend to relax and let the women shop for gifts, cook and bake and clean and stress themselves out. How about a quiet celebration for Mother's Day? One that involves a gift from the heart, maybe a hand written letter of love, or a photo that declares that love? Or maybe a home cooked dinner that she does not have to prepare and shop for?
Honestly, I do not care if my family sends me flowers for Mother's Day. Although we are apart, all I want is their love and esteem. I no longer decorate in a frenzy, bake for days ahead or try to be superwoman for each holiday and I no longer fall into the trap of consumerism forcing us to buy the latest decor. Contentment came at a price, and it truly is wonderful to no longer need to keep up. I wish for you, that this will come as well. It is freeing and much less expensive and all in all, when a gift is received, one knows it was from the heart and not purchased as a dutiful offering.
We are done with Easter and Mother's Day is being pushed already. Don't let it push you. Do nothing and celebrate that. Something to celebrate is nothing!
I was shopping at Wal Mart yesterday, hoping to find some seat covers and a divider to keep Robbie in the back of the vehicle, but had no luck. Easter decorations and candy was on sale for 50% off, but right next to all that was Mother's Day! The big stores, and the small, push us to buy, buy and buy more. Have you noticed how decorating colours for Christmas are red and green one year and blue and purple the next? Toss out the red and green old fashioned, out of date decorations and get some new ones. Toss out the made in China cheap plastics and new ones are readily available and affordable.
But none of it means anything anymore.
I am old enough to remember making decorations for the Christmas tree. When my children were small, so was our income. The tree was festooned with little salt dough, hand painted characters, strung popcorn and candies on threads. There were lots of paper chains and kid made decorations everywhere and few if any made in China. Every item on the tree had a memory associated with it and was kept for the next year, until one year the moisture disintegrated the salt dough ornaments and they melted into the paper ones and all had to be tossed. We were saddened because there was some meaning to the decorations.
Each holiday gives us a chance to celebrate something important to our families. For those who believe in religious holidays, there should be some significance in the festivities. For the rest, it is a chance for families to get together and share valued time. But the meaning of a holiday is not in the giving of gifts, eating of chocolates and candies made from GMO sugar beets, and laced with fructose and other horrible things, or the cheap, insignificant decorations. There should be more to it.
Let me urge you to stop being caught in the trap of holidays. I know women who feel they have to make huge meals, bake for days and spend hours upon hours cleaning and decorating for each holiday. They are exhausted and when the day is done, wonder why they continue to do it. Society is pressuring women in particular. Men tend to relax and let the women shop for gifts, cook and bake and clean and stress themselves out. How about a quiet celebration for Mother's Day? One that involves a gift from the heart, maybe a hand written letter of love, or a photo that declares that love? Or maybe a home cooked dinner that she does not have to prepare and shop for?
Honestly, I do not care if my family sends me flowers for Mother's Day. Although we are apart, all I want is their love and esteem. I no longer decorate in a frenzy, bake for days ahead or try to be superwoman for each holiday and I no longer fall into the trap of consumerism forcing us to buy the latest decor. Contentment came at a price, and it truly is wonderful to no longer need to keep up. I wish for you, that this will come as well. It is freeing and much less expensive and all in all, when a gift is received, one knows it was from the heart and not purchased as a dutiful offering.
We are done with Easter and Mother's Day is being pushed already. Don't let it push you. Do nothing and celebrate that. Something to celebrate is nothing!
One of the things I love the most is the celebration of motherhood on the farm.
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