You're Not Alone: Christmas Cheer

You're Not Alone

Written by Ross Tayler

Saturday, 27 December 2008 21:50

Well it has been a little while since I have written a column, I apologize for that. However, I have just been really busy. So I am going to start by making a confession, and I will be gentle with it. The fact is I am just not that fond of Christmas, or perhaps it is more about what Christmas has become. I think this comes from over 20 years of working in the service industry where you get to see the consumer side of Christmas. This is what I am not so fond of. I mean, do we really need more stuff? Now I am sure that statement comes with great economic impact and this is not my point. Christmas is also a time of connecting with friends & family. This is the part of Christmas that is great and I think we should connect with friends and family more often than we do. That said, what I really want is to hear from YOU... all your great stories of connecting with each other over the Holidays. The good, the bad & the ugly (after all when family gets together there is always a story or two or three). Perhaps there was someone who helped you out during a difficult time. Or someone who was there for you. Or perhaps your flight got cancelled and you ended up meeting some amazing people as you waited in the Airport. Share those stories. I personally had a very quiet Christmas hanging out with my kids, no fuss, no frills just hanging out and having some fun.  Apart from that I was busy working You can post your stories by posting in the comment section below or you can This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it me and I will post them. Can't wait to see what you share. Best of the Season to you and thanks for reading. Ross Comments Add New Search DBattag   |24.82.116.xxx |2009-01-02 13:43:13 Well said Miss Dana-Marie. It's taken a while to adjust to giving up 60 years of tradition. Giving is the most fun and giving of yourself lasts a lot longer than presents, almost as long as if not longer, than the credit card debt I used to run up. Reply | Quote Ross   |24.82.7.xxx |2008-12-28 06:31:36 I totally agree with you. My family has not exchanged gifts for years. It has made Christmas a much easier time. Reply | Quote Dana-Marie   |75.157.210.xxx |2008-12-27 17:12:45 I know how you feel Ross. Every year my family and I participate a little less in the commercial aspect of Christmas, and this year, we pretty much avoided it completely. I made one gift, and bought one other. In return, I got a box of life savors (tradition!) and a Starbucks card. I'm thrilled, because in addition to those two gems, it's what I DIDN'T get that I'm really appreciating... no headaches, no stress, no worrying, no running around. We ate, we laughed, we hugged, we went home. I don't feel like I missed out on anything. Rather, I was able to relax and enjoy the holiday even more without feeling the exhaustion that usually comes with it. It certainly does give me joy to give though... but it's hard for me to derive that joy from giving gifts I 'had to get' on a deadline. I'd much rather get someone something 'just because' any day of the year... and so, that's what I do now. It took me and my family years to get to this point, but let me tell you, it feels good to be able to just 'be' and be happy throughout the whole month of December! Reply | Quote Write comment Name: Email:  do not notifynotify Website: Title: UBBCode:         -color-aquablackbluefuchsiagraygreenlimemaroonnavyolivepurpleredsilvertealwhiteyellow -size-tinysmallmediumlargehuge   Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image. Powered by !JoomlaComment 3.26 3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."