It's the Most Wonderf--WAIT! It's only October!

I should warn you, prior to writing this post, I completely broke my own hard and fast rule and purchased Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving.  Stupid Kohls and their cute little reindeer and santas.  Geez.  Next, I'll be camping out at midnight before Black Friday and throwing elbows and blacking eyes for the last box of chai k-cups.

This time of year my depression begins to worsen.  The lack of lighting in the day, the cooler air moving in, and, I think most of all, the materialism we are seeing more and more of in the stores, all have an affect on me.

As I wander through the stores, I see them moving each holiday up further every year.  I noticed this year the Christmas items are now prominently displayed directly next to Halloween items, not even waiting for October to be over.  With the retail business shoving Christmas stuff down our throats, I’m finding it easy to lose the ‘feel’ of Christmas before Halloween even arrives.  I am saddened deeply by this. Thanksgiving barely gets an honorable mention.

I saw a meme on social media proclaiming, "Tis the season to bribe our kids with Santa!"  Really?

Please don't misunderstand me.  I LOVE Christmas.  I love the feel of it.  Just not the stuff of it.  Does that make sense?  I love the meaning behind it.  I can't wait for the smells, the sounds, the things we do with the boys to celebrate, but everything else has me just cringing.

What kind of world are we raising our children in?

Answer:  A greedy one.  A selfish one.  A self-centered one.  A rude one.  An incredibly materialistic one.  Are you getting the idea yet?

I think this is something we have to ask ourselves, whether you consider yourself a believer or not.

Shawn and I get discouraged trying to keep it simple, trying to keep it intentional.  Often, the retail business can make it feel as though we’re fighting a losing battle.   We feel as though we try so hard to raise our children honorably and meaningfully.  We do not bend to their every whim.  We do a lot for others, and involve the children in all of it. Yet, we still feel as though we are missing the mark. We want to be intentional.  We want to raise loving, intentional, thoughtful, selfless adults.

I saved this link from last year and wanted to share it with you.  I'm going to start working on it soon, in order to keep the ideas flowing, as well as to begin growing (and most importantly!) the FEEL of Christmas. And, you know what, I'm just going to say it--Merry Christmas!!!

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/12/11/elisabeth-hasselbeck-how-our-familys-christmas-went-from-getting-to-giving.html