Reconnect With the Meaning of Christmas

In our homes, work places and communities we are bombarded with television, Internet and print ads that sell the holiday. Social media has reinforced the idea of a perfect Christmas. We are directed on getting our homes holiday ready and creating a picture perfect holiday house and family gathering.

Of course our tree is filled with handmade, carefully crafted or sewn ornaments, our sideboards are heavy with gourmet baked goods filled with organic locally sourced ingredients that we spend months working on. Wreaths are arranged with vintage ornaments and boughs of Douglas, Balsam or Fraser pine cascade down railings and on picture perfect mantels. The pine tucked with tiny white lights, cinnamon scented pine cones, and clove studded oranges. Everyone is happy and dressed in their holiday best.

Are you feeling just the tiniest bit of pressure when you see those Christmas and holiday boards on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest?

And don't forget the perfect Christmas gifts. We need to buy them earlier than ever before and at such discount prices we could of course overlook the fact that the sales are in the middle of another holiday.

In the past few years many big box stores have started Black Friday even earlier than the traditional early Friday a.m. on the day after Thanksgiving. Nowadays, Thanksgiving sales start at 6:00 p.m. or midnight meaning many workers lose the opportunity to spend the holiday of gratitude with their family.

How does the rush to sell Christmas make you feel? How can you slow down the frenzied holiday calendar? Will you spend more money this year on Christmas? What are your favorite parts of the holidays that don't cost a lot of money?

The Christmas memories I cherish are not the gifts although at the time I thought they were. They are the memories of being with friends and family and feeling loved. The baking and cooking of Christmas cookies and cherished family recipes, uncovering the special vintage Christmas ornaments and the Christmas elves that were tucked carefully away in tissue paper in the attic, the candles in the windows, the Christmas songs sung at local nursing homes for people that had no family, Secret Santa's and sledding on steep icy hills on a cold, starless night, drinking hot spiced apple cider in front of the fireplace. Leaving Christmas Eve mass and discovering it is snowing. Hearing the timeless songs of Christmas, listening to the children's choir, and the silver sleigh bells. Smelling pine incense and mulberry candles. A fragrant balsam wreath of the door that reads "Peace."

Share your childhood Christmas memories with your family!

It's hard to think about Christmas without packages, boxes or bows. But for many people the economy means that there will be less "stuff" to go around. Perhaps we have become a spoiled nation, we want the latest and the greatest technological advances, we ask for and expect to get an iPod, an iPad, a Kindle and the newest and hottest games...but do these things add meaning to Christmas?

Create a sense of gratitude with your family by discussing how much they really have. What could you share with others that would add meaning to someone else's Christmas. Could your family share time, donate clothing, toys or goods, work as a volunteer in any capacity, support a local non-profit, bring a friend or neighbor into your celebration.

Dr. Seuss knew that giving is the true spirit of Christmas. Giving time, giving someone a Christmas memory, giving love and most of all the giving of yourself. What can you give to someone this year that is meaningful? Will it be something they will remember ten years from now? Consider starting a Christmas memory journal with your family. Writing down the cherished Christmas memories in a special book will remind you and your family about the true meaning of Christmas. This family tradition can include Christmas memories of grandparents, aunts and uncles. A family history to be read and shared with future generations.

This night always seems special, the sense of anticipation, joy and excitement is palpable if you have younger children. Is it your tradition to spend this day and night just with family or do you open up your house to friends and neighbors?

• A Christmas Eve Open House: Keep the family home, the tree lit and invite friends or family for a simple gathering. Offer light refreshments and put out all those wonderful chocolates, cakes and homemade goodies that were shared with your family. This is not a time to stress about the perfect table, it is a time to celebrate and relax.
• As soon as it gets dark drive down the street with the most Christmas lights and oooh and ahh at the decorations
• Attend Midnight Mass together
• Visit the Nativity Scene during the day and revisit after Midnight Mass
• Open one Gift, in our family it was always the traditional Christmas pajamas
• Watch a Christmas Classic or two together
• Bake Cookies for a Neighbor or Friend
• Journal your Christmas with your family
• Read The Night Before Christmas together, take turns reading and yes, use different voices for each character
• Make placing the star or a Christmas angel on the tree a big event
• Leave out milk and cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer

What if this year you created a new Christmas tradition. What would that look like? Traditions and rituals connect us to each other. How many times have you found yourself saying to your significant other, In my family we...