It will be a different Christmas preparation

Well, I remember when I was young, my mother would never order food for the holidays and always made everything herself. She still does. But now it is getting harder to keep up. I told her to slow down and maybe cook one or two things if you feel the need and over the rest. She always says no. I know I am a lot younger then my mother and I do not have the same energy she does to do all these holidays. As we get older it does become harder to manufacture an entire holiday feast.

Usually, this is the one time of the year that my energy level is at a pretty constant high, beginning with Samhain and ending with New Year's celebrations. I love the gift-giving, food preparation, decorating, hosting, and general jollity of the season!

I actually stopped celebrating a few years ago... BUT I've decided to start again this year. I realized that it actually leaves a mark and reminder that the new year is on it's way.. so I felt like something was just missing and I got confused with the dates without it. But I won't go over board. I don't do the gifts stuff. I'm just going to decorate the house and cook a comfortable meal for my family. I guess balance is key.

I have always been a person that loves everything about the Christmas season, but I do find that I get worn out during the month of December. It isn't so much because of the fact that there are so many preparations that have to be made during December, but it is because of the fact that our family has two birthdays to celebrate during the month as well. You see, my daughter has an early December birthday then my niece's birthday is eleven days later and then ten days after my niece's birthday is Christmas.

I usually do my shopping earlier in the year when I had money. Now I shop online or get it done in one day. I also make Christmas crafts and start in August. I have been busy with my graduate program and last month we moved from Idaho to Nevada and things have been so bad. My mother had told my husband and I that we could live here until we get back on our feet again, but after we got out here they expect us to pay her money. We have had two unexpected expenses that has drained us, but my mother still wants money. Finding work in this tough economy has been hard and many places are not hiring right now, but my mom seems to think that a job is going to come up and say you are hired. I am hoping to do some baking this year, but I have a feeling that I will not be able to.

As I get older, I guess I am becoming more disillusioned about holidays in general. The commercialization of traditions is getting its grind on me and sometimes, the changing of holiday dates seems to aggravate it further. I don't know how and when it happened exactly but I tend to view holidays as a somewhat phased out practices. Yes, It gives us momentarily joy but the concept of momentarily joy itself makes me think of it as simpler affair than in younger years. The holidays always make me think and reflect its significance and whether or not, the ostentatious preparation and execution is worth it. I always think and view of the world and its various mechanisms (societal traditions and customs) should be simple and practical. Some might think it is robbing the festive essence of the occasion but the origin of the holiday, most often Christmas, is rooted in simplicity. So, like you. I'm toning it down for the coming season. Yes, it that time of the year again for us to be jolly and be festive. But over-all, the root of the festive occasion should always be remembered, if we cannot help ourselves to practice it in an ostentatious manner.

hi bingskee for me Christmas and holiday here are bittersweet as who in their right mind would want to quit living in an apt and come live in a retirement center. we had to decide what to do as myson lost his job, we got behind on the rent and were evicted' s olbeing homeless and in this tiresome place is better only that I am not living among the homeless out on the street.. but I have hopes of getting out of here in time.

Dear Ms. Bingskee As a kid and before my falling ill, there was only me who used to do all the decorations, and assist mom in her food preparations. It was more like fun and entertainment. The worst part was the day after the festivity - when I was forced to pull down and pack up the decorations that I did... painful for the creator as always. Today, we are just the two of us - me and my wife and so there are not any more of those big decorations and we keep things simple... Maybe sometime when we have kids, we may opt for the hectic tasks during the festivities