'tis the season to be jolly foolish with money!

There’s a reason they call it the Silly Season.  The festive period turns rational level headed adults into crazed gift buying machines, and it’s the time of year when any child old enough to write suddenly has the ability to write a Christmas list worthy of winning a Booker Prize.

We’ll get back to the list making later, but for now, let’s stop and think about the commercialisation of Christmas……

Whether you’re Christian, Catholic, Buddhist, Muslim, Atheist or any other religion - we’re pretty sure that the meaning of Christmas is not for Microsoft to make another 400,000 GAZILLION dollars because every second child put an X-Box on their wishlist.   (For the record, they’re already worth 69.96 billion dollars)

This year take a moment to stop and think about what Christmas means (no matter what your faith).  Perhaps it’s not all about the presents (which are now a far cry from Frankincense, Myrrh and Gold)?  Maybe take time to stop and connect to what Christmas means for you and YOUR family.  Is that LOVE, or COMMUNITY, or FAITH or something else?  Whatever it is, maybe it’s time to find that again.

Now, even though we may have connected to the real meaning of Christmas and found away to make that part of this year’s celebrations, let’s be realistic…….most of us will still go and buy presents for our kids, family and friends, so let’s talk about the dreaded L word……the ghastly LIST.

A gift isn’t just supposed to show someone that we opened our wallets/purses and emptied the contents on a counter somewhere (or put our card number into a computer), to purchase what they requested from us.  A gift should reflect our relationship with the person we’re buying for.   We should spend time thinking about what that person would like, what makes them happy, and imagining the joy on their face when they receive it.  You just don’t get that same level of anticipation and emotion when the person receiving your ‘gift’ knows exactly what is going to be beneath those layers of (overpriced) wrapping paper.  

There are two old sayings that particularly ring true for this situation:

- It’s better to give than to receive

AND

- It’s the thought that counts

So………..let’s start backing this up and leading by example!  

Let’s take some time out of our insanely busy schedules to put some real thought into the gifts we’re buying.  

Let’s remind ourselves that it’s not how much we spend that matters.

Let’s get on Pinterest and look for great homemade gifts.  

Let’s support local business instead of multinational corporations.

Let’s teach our kids to do all of the above.  

LET’S DITCH THE LIST!

And lastly………

Let’s buy a present for someone we don’t know - someone who may not get any presents if it weren’t for the kindness of strangers. 

Rebecca Milham and Sue Warner

The Natural Health and Wellness Clinic