Skipping Christmas...and Boy Does It Feel Good

So...been meaning to post about our "Skipping Christmas" plan this year, but haven't had a chance to sit down and write it out.

Steve and I have, for the last year, really been pondering social action issues and become more aware of the pitfalls of Western consumerism. With Christmas coming upon us, we're hit with a truckload of "Spend, Spend Spend!" marketing and the ever-present message of, "You NEED this, you must DO this, BUY this, get your KID this, have your house LOOK like this" in order to be: happy. cool. normal. etc.
Consumerism was especially brought to light at Owen's birthday in November. The kid gets more loot than any other birthday yet. Legos, trains, a new bike, a Leapster, stickers, coloring books, games, all kinds of stuff from family and us. Steve and I made eye contact as he ripped into present after present, hardly pausing to see and enjoy one before grabbing another. And his favorite? A small train set. We could've bought the kid ONE train and he would've been happy. Why do we feel like we must get our kids more more MORE stuff, that will end up on the floor in their room? Stuffed under the bed, forgotten in the bottom of the closet?

We decided to scale back.
WAY back.

And I can't tell you how much less stress it is.
We decided to get the kids 3 gifts each. If that. You saw their lists to Santa. They only want like, 4 things. So after grandparents spoil them with gifts galore, and aunts, uncles, and us, and friends, and then they're left with a pile of toys and the thing they like most is that one train/car and the cardboard box all the gifts were shipped in. And for the two of us...what do we really need? What would be special? Those are the things that have us thinking carefully about our gift(s) to each other...we're not getting a ton of gifts so the ones that we do get need to be well thought out.

And in the spirit of actually "skipping Christmas", we're not putting up any decorations. Not a single one. That sounds a lot worse than it really is, because we're not doing that to be scroogy, but rather because we're leaving in 2 weeks for a 2 week-long trip to family and friends up north. At first I felt guilty about not picking out the tree, dragging down the ornaments, keeping the dog from peeing on the tree, putting up the lights, etc, for the kids sake, but then I reminded myself that we'll be in Ohio and Michigan for Christmas, with family and their decor, and SNOW! Family, music, chilly weather, hot chocolate, love, laughter, the Christmas story, being HOME...for us, THAT is Christmas.

No decor. No huge Christmas-gift shopping list. No "I-must-replace-the-Christmas-lights-and-spray-paint-some-pinecones". It's as if a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. The gifts that we're getting for family are much more thought-out, from the heart. No shopping for a $20-$30 gift that --->fill in family member's name here<--- doesn't really need anyway. No more combing the stores with a list of 20 gifts to buy in hand. No more financial meltdown at the end of the year.

We also started to consider gifts, traditions, and the spirit of Christmas that would leave more lasting memories. I think we'll really enjoy our own traditions this year and I hope to make some new ones. New pajamas on Christmas Eve. Baking a HUGE batch of homemade sugar cookies for family and friends. A personalized tree ornament (with all our names on it) that we pick out together. Monkey Bread on Christmas morning. Gifts with meaning, an experience - (we're getting Owen art lessons and AJ gymnastics.) We don't have a nativity set but I'd like to get one and incorporate that into our Christmas rituals. A Christmas Eve candlelight service perhaps?? For once...3 weeks before Christmas, I feel calm. NOT stressed out. Not worrying about where the money for a bazillion Christmas gifts will come from. Not frantically writing lists and wondering what store has the best turkey in town. Just looking forward to Christmas break, and having time to spend together with my husband and my kids.

Here's my advice: BREATHE.
Relax. Remember what Christmas is. Look away from your to-do lists, your shopping lists, your dwindling checking accounts, and remind yourself that what's important is the ones you love. Not the stuff. The stuff will be forgotten in a month. a year. a decade. But your traditions, your rites, your time spent together will be the stuff that you (and your kids) remember forever.

What are your family traditions? What are ways that you can make Christmas memorable this year? Tell me stuff that you do, or that your family did....we're in the market for some Nowack traditions to add to our arsenal. :)