A Christmas With No Presents.
Some trite story about a wonder-less Christmas that concludes with a miracle in the final ten minutes. No Charlie Brown Christmas tree for these folks. A goofy plot tied up in a nice red ribbon.
No, today I am all about how to enjoy this holiday. It's something my good friends and I put into place several years ago. Admittedly, this is impossible to accomplish if you have kids in your world. Yes, there should be a Santa Claus for them with toys and other goodies under the tree.
But, if it's nothing but adults in your Yuletide lexicon, you can totally remove the stress and anxiety of the holiday by issuing a single edict to be followed.
LET'S NOT EXCHANGE GIFTS.
Trust me, gang. This works. And magically restores the wonderment of Christmas into your lives.
Let's face it. As you get older, there is a finite number of great holiday gift ideas. I know because we hit that figure here in Los Angeles about three years ago.
My core group of Los Angeles friends would get together every Christmas Day and the gift exchange was manic and lasted for hours. The room, once filled with ooohs and aaahs, was now populated with pleasantries and fake smiles. Oh, you shouldn't have. Really. You shouldn't have. And I wish you hadn't.
We had run out of ideas. When there was actually the gift of a drain stopper, I knew we were done.
And needed to bring back Christmas the way it ought to be.
We stopped the gift exchange the very next year and still had fun. Amazing. To this day, I now really only shop for two presents every December. I send flowers to a dear friend in my church and a plant to the lady who watches over my NY apartment. That's it.
And it's refreshing.
Oh, there's still a beautifully decorated tree in my living room. There's always a sumptuous meal at my dining room table. And lots of laughs and love.
None of it purchased at Macy's or Bloomingdale's or Best Buy.
If we want to spend money to celebrate the holiday, there are ways.
A nice meal out at a restaurant.
Maybe we go to a show or a concert.
Or take in a classic film at a Hollywood movie palace.
We spend time with each other. And that's now become the best part of Christmas.
And you will never ever have to worry about where you put that gift receipt for the sweater you just know won't fit. A size medium? What the hell was she thinking?
Try it. You will suddenly love Christmas as if it's a brand new holiday.
Dinner last night: Roast beef and noodles at the NY domicile.
1 comment:
We gave up presents years ago, and we found the same thing -- we have a lot more fun. We make sure the out-of-town kids can get home, and we have a big dinner with the 7 of us and perhaps a few family/friends. Amazing what a difference it makes.
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