Christmas is a bummer this year in some ways. It will certainly not be like Christmases of recent past for N and me. It will not be filled with (relatively) expensive (relatively) frivolous gifts. There is no money for that. There is, thanks to my parents, money enough to have a few gifts under the tree from Santa and from me. The best gift, though, in N's eyes will surely be the Wii that N is receiving from his Grandma and Grandpa. Normally, I might be a bit peeved that they were providing a more lavish present than I can provide for N. However, this year is not normal. This year I will get what I can for N without spending a great deal.
Although I am the first to say that Christmas should not be about the presents and how much money is spent, it is hard for me not to be so much involved on the giving end this year. In the past I have given not only to N, but I've made sure that we've given to local toy drives and food drives and all manner of charitable giving in celebration of the holidays. This year I feel bad, not because of things I won't get but because of things that I won't give. I won't take a tag off the Angel Tree and buy a child something to make their Christmas a little merrier. I won't write a substantial check for the church's Christmas offering. It is indeed the giving I will miss. There is no greater joy than giving.
I feel miserly that I am not giving more this year. Just reading the stories and knowing the economic situation I know that there are more people out there than ever that need a bit of help making Christmas for their families this year. Yet the rational part of my brain tells me that nobody can be expected to give more than what they have. It would not be right for me to give and simply put my little family into debt to do so. So I guess I'll live with having to focus on providing Christmas for N, be thankful I'm not one who needs to turn to a charity (other than my parents) for presents for him, and hope there are others out there who have enough that they can give to those charities that won't be receiving from me this year.
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2 comments:
We all do the best we can True. Some years are better than others, and down the road things will be different again. Being thankful for what you do have is a good thing, and most definitly the season is not about the gifts.
Instead of giving with money or gifts maybe you can find a way to donate some time to help out a charity?
Fuse - You are so right that we all do the best we can. I'm afraid finding time to help a charity is not easy with all the shuttling of N from one event/practice/sport/competition to another. Sigh. . .
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