The Christmas Pledge

A point I've made over and over again in this blog is that in order to simplify your Christmas, you have to do something. You have to make a concerted, positive effort to change those things that are making you miserable with each passing Christmas. In line with this is the "Christmas Pledge, set forth in Unplug the Christmas Machine , by Jo Robinson and Jean Coppock Staeheli. For your edification, I now reproduce the pledge in its original form, save for adding a sixth element of my own devising to the pledge.

THE CHRISTMAS PLEDGE:

Believing in the beauty and simplicity of Christmas, I commit myself to the following:

1. To remember those people who truly need my gifts.


2. To express my love for family and friends in more direct ways than presents.


3. To rededicate myself to the spiritual growth of my family.


4. To examine my holiday activities in light of the true spirit of Christmas.


5. To initiate one act of peacemaking within my circle of family and friends.


6. To endeavor, after each Christmas season, to carry something of the values of Christmas with me throughout the rest of the year.

"Safe"

What do you get the kid who has everything?

Well, no kid has everything, but let me pose the following scenario to you. I have no doubt that many readers will be familiar with it--

Dick and Jane get lots of presents at Christmas.  Their parents go all out, as do both sets of grandparents along with assorted aunts and uncles. There's not room for everything under the tree; presents have to be piled on the kitchen table as well. Christmas Eve, or Christmas morning, the unwrapping gets underway, and two or three hours after starting, Dick and Jane are still at it. Paper and ribbon and bows everywhere; the place looks like it's been hit by a hurricane.

It's hard to buy for kids like this. First of all, there's the risk of duplication, especially if you go after this year's "trendy" toys.  But on a deeper plane, suppose that you feel like you want to get them something that's special, amongst all those other "special" things (read: special junk)....

Answer: Books. When the toys have lost their novelty a few months down the road, and joined the vast array of rarely-played-with toys that populate Dick and Jane's rooms, the books will still be there, beckoning. Well, maybe. This strategy probably works better with younger kids who are just learning to read, than it will with older kids who have discovered the allure of the video game. But even if the books go neglected, you will know that you gave it your best shot, bestowing upon them a time-honored, non-passive form of entertainment that enriches both mind and spirit. As opposed to glitzy crap made in Chinese sweatshops.

There's the added advantage here that you can, with some judicious shopping around in used bookstores, pick up like-new kids books at a substantial savings over the big retailers. Unless you think that spending more money on brand new books means you love Dick and Jane more, that God abhors Christmas thrift, or some other crazy idea along those general lines.

Another idea is art supplies. Most kids like to draw and color, so getting them crayons, colored pens and pencils, art paper, etc., is never a waste.

Tinsel Toons #7

Easy Home Decorating Ideas for Christmas

Storm, over at 365 Days of Christmas, has put together a phenomenal list of suggestions for easy, inexpensive Christmas Decorating. Check it out!

Get Organized: Your Holiday Calendar

A lot of holiday stress can be attributed to lack of organization. Possibly you have these amorphous thoughts floating around in your head about what needs to be done, but you never sit down and make out a list or a schedule. Perhaps you don't even evaluate how much you can--or how much you want to spend--this year. Then the 15th of December rolls around, and just like last year, you haven't made any preparations at all....

So you stress. And come New Year's Day, you're exhausted and you're glad it's over for another year.

Get yourself organized. Get a blank calendar, and start planning out every aspect of your holiday season. There is something about getting all the plans out on paper that is both stress-reducing and liberating. Not only that, but after you've finished filling out your calendar, you can ruminate over it for a few days and decide what you need or would like to hack out to make things easier on you and yours.

No excuses. Here is a link to a site where you can design and print out as many custom, full page blank calendars as you'd like, for free - no membership necessary, no leaving your e-mail address. 100% free, no strings attached. You can even personalize your calendar(s) with a photograph(s).

 

A reduced-size version of a blank calendar created for free at dayweekyear.com.

Do it NOW. Don't wait.

Lastly, here's a Christmas schedule that no one but Martha Stewart would attempt. ;)

The First day of Winter

I'm an outspoken person, so by all means, take the following with a grain of salt...

It will officially be winter in a few hours. I had to go out on this near-winter's day, because I needed a few groceries and a pair of pants. I expected it would be bad out there, and my expectations were, in fact, exceeded. It was horrible out there. The traffic was horrible, the stores were packed, and there seemed to be an inordinate number of cranky people around. My brother (who went with me) said, "I have a feeling it's going to be one of those days...."

People blowing through the roundabouts and cutting others off like the bold "yield" warning on the pavement had been erased. Others punching the accelerator to make it through the yellow light at intersections. Cutting others off, when perhaps on another day, they might have taken their foot off the gas and given someone an opening. A line of cars, stretching from Bakerview all the way to Bennett Road. Parking lots packed and the stores crowded with masses of complete strangers, shoulder to shoulder, each "safe" inside his/her insulated little world. Frowning. Yessir, I took an inventory. A lot of frowning and furrowed brows out there.

But maybe it's always that way. I'll have to do a post-Xmas comparison.

I'm glad I've backed off from this sort of thing, this"surfing the fray," for the most part. Because anyone who's out in that on a daily basis...well, I can understand why y'all feel like crap at Christmastime.

Not that I endorse simulated cheer*. But there's an old Vietnamese saying: "Ornament is for joy." Why are you doing it, if there's no joy in it? But more importantly, what is life for, if not to enjoy?

One thing is certain: I'll not go near a retail establishment, save maybe Starbucks for a cup of coffee, from now until Christmas is over. It's a jungle out there.

P.S. - You erratic drivers - take a chill pill. You're a danger to yourself and others.

*Actually, I do endorse simulated cheer, for its therapeutic value, but not when it's employed simply as a "veneer."

Time

To many individuals, the sentiment expressed in this poster is Christmas. Maybe they dislike it, maybe they resent it, maybe they regret it, maybe they long for something different. Or maybe they buy into it. Both literally and figuratively.

The old saying goes, "Time is money." It's not true. Beyond estimation, time is worth more than money. This Christmas and all throughout the year, spend time with those you love. With your wife, your husband, your children, your friends. No gift(s), no matter how lavish, can take the place of that.

And as for love: tell them so. Look them in the eye, and say, "I love you." Almost nothing says it better than that. Since time immemorial.

Robot Santa would not approve of sweatshop X'mas ornaments

I saw one of the Futurama Christmas episodes the other night, and therein is a scene where Robot Santa, upon observing a behavior he believes to be naughty*, says, "Good God! That is so naughty, I've got to put that on my list right now!" At which point he pauses to write the offense down in his book, while everyone uses the opportunity to escape from hyper-righteous Clausian justice.

Well, I'm a lot easier than Robot Santa, but in posting the following I'm pretty much pausing to write it down in my list, because it is so very, very naughty--

Christmas ornaments made in China sweatshop: report

By Karey Wutkowski

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Christmas tree ornaments sold at Wal-Mart Stores Inc and other major retailers were made in a Chinese sweatshop employing workers as young as 12 and others who work more than 100 hours a week, a Democratic senator said on Wednesday.

"There is virtually no enforcement anywhere on these issues," Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota said at a news conference to release a study about how Chinese sweatshops provide cheap goods for the U.S. market. "Our country needs to insist that our trading partners enforce their own labor laws and respect international labor standards...." (read more)

I'm quite sure this is nothing new; someone just got caught this time. Nevertheless, it is disconcerting, being antithetical to the essential spirit of Christmas. But maybe I'm just being overly idealistic, eh? Because this sort of thing does go hand in hand with the rampant commercialism of Christmas....

For my part, this simply strengthens my resolve to shop locally, buying products either made by locals, or at least supporting the businesses of locals. Creature of conscience that I am, I find the idea of a having a "Merry Christmas" riding around on the backs of the impoverished deeply distasteful. That's like a real old fashioned Christmas - as in medieval - where the starving peasant child got a moldy orange and a couple of rancid walnuts in his sock, while the King dined on roast venison and Wassail.

Next year is the year I begin to make all my Christmas ornaments. It will be creative and fun - all ribbons and shiny paper (if I can find any ribbon and shiny paper not made in China), all popcorn and cranberry garlands.

Now that's an old-fashioned Christmas I can get behind in good conscience.
-----
*"Robot Santa," in Futurama, is a robotic Kris Kringle who was created with the best of intentions in mind. However, the "naughtiness parameter" in his logic chip was set too high in the beginning, and thereafter - with a few notable exceptions - he has found almost everyone naughty. Because of this, being caught outside your house by Santa on Christmas Eve is very dangerous, and potentially lethal. Robot Santa made a list, and he checked it twice; in fact, he makes thousands of megachecks per second, and his head is reinforced with paradox-absorbing crumple zones.

You are not Santa

We all know the drill. On Christmas Eve, the fat man comes bearing gifts. Maybe we were sold this concept when we were little, and maybe we bought it...for a while. But innocence was eventually lost, and we came to the conclusion that Santa Claus was, in actuality, our parents.

So, we resigned ourselves to the fact that Santa is a metaphor for goodness, generosity, and all that merry stuff, and we got on with the business of finding our own set of meanings for Christmas (or we bought into the commercial, prepackaged junk concept of Christmas, sold to us by the merchant class). Whatever the case, you, whoever you are, probably have developed your own set of routines and traditions which you maintain to this day.

BUT: every year as it turns Dec. 1, do you transform into Santa Claus - do you really, seriously try to take on the role of pleasing everyone, all the time? Do you shoot for a picture-perfect, picturebook Christmas?

You must get awfully tired, because Santa Claus is a busy guy. Consider this:

Cynical skeptics note that the belief in the Christmas gift giver requires acceptance of the hypothesis that in a single evening the infrequent flyer visits all the homes in America and the homes of Americans everywhere else on Earth. Even if the speedy one spent a single second at each home and took no time to travel between homes, it would take him several years to complete his rounds. Obviously, a miracle happens every Christmas! (source)

Trying to accomplish a miracle this Christmas, like that jolly, rotund fellow in red? Does it feel like you're trying to accomplish a miracle in the time allotted to you? Running around from place to place, trying to make a dozen different engagements, bake Christmas cookies, decorate the tree, what am I gonna get Aunt Bessie, oh, God, I hope she doesn't bring the jello mold with the kibbles and bits this year, can we afford this, the kids will be disappointed, cousin Bob just called, he's bringing three friends to X'mas dinner, get an extra leaf for the dining room table, CLYDE! that Super Malibu Barbie kids Winnebago with Intel inside costs a fortune, Dear Lord, deliver me from the office party, somebody bloody well better help me with the dishes this year, no jAnEt, YoU mAy NoT gO SkIiNg iN BoUlDeR with your 18-year-old boyfriend, whaddya mean you're out of s..s...smoked t...t..turkeys, the Visa is maxed out, I wish I had better china, blah, blah, blah...

You're not Santa, you're not a miracle worker, and it's not your job to slave and go into crippling debt at Christmas time, so that others may enjoy the holidays.

Somewhere along the line, a lot of people pick up the idea that unselfish giving means that we must suffer, or in some sense shortchange ourselves, in order for it to be truly worthy. This is absolute, blithering nonsense. Lose that notion, loosen up, and enjoy the holidays for a change.

You are not Santa. Or Mrs. Claus, either.

Wrapping Christmas presents a pain?

Maybe some people like it. Personally, I don't. You go to all this work to wrap pretty, picturebook Christmas presents in tinsel and fire, which gets shredded in mere seconds and added to an unruly pile of Christmas offal. Often by a kid who cares not in the least what the present comes in. It's kind of depressing.

Me - I get Christmas bags. You can get perfectly serviceable ones, in any size from small to jumbo, at the local dollar stores, complete with a tag. Then, the gift recipients may use them in the future, if they please - and even if they don't, it has saved you work. Don't worry about whether the bags get reused or recycled - you don't have to own someone else's thrift, or the lack thereof.

Or, if you want, take them back home with you, and use them next year. Chances are that no one will care, and maybe they won't even notice.

On the other hand, if you like the Christmas carnage, carry on, Christian soldiers.

Simplification Reminder: It's about experiences

Ultimately, Christmas isn't about what you buy, or what you get, in material terms. A lot of people believe otherwise, but the fact of the matter is that ten, or twenty, or fifty years down the road, the memories will be what stand out, and even the gifts that remain in your possession will be intimately tied to those memories. The same is true for the people who receive gifts from you.

It's about experiences, and you have a part in the shaping of those experiences. Good experiences make for good memories; bad experiences leave a sour taste in our mouth on New Year's Day (a New Year's hangover may add to that, as well).

It's hard to have good experiences when you're stressed out to the max, isn't it? So, I ask you: is this going to be another Christmas where you follow the same pattern you always have, suffer the same anxieties, and maybe pick up a bit of good cheer on the luck of the draw?

Try simplifying, and enjoying the holidays. Make it about experiences, and not about "stuff." You have nothing to lose but a big credit card bill, a big headache, and maybe even a heartache.

On Christmas Eve, we gathered, merrily.
Father offered a prayer to whatsoever powers that be.
Then we ate the fare,
'Twas a toast of wine,
And after dinner I dreamed of
Far places and things divine,
I'd love to see,
In a storybook under the Christmas tree.

On Christmas Day, I was up before the dawn.
Seeing what that happy supernatural man
Had brought me, from the Great Beyond.
It was many years ago, and very far to see,
Brother, sister, and me, in a
Storybook under the Christmas tree
I'd love to be.

- R. Dean Brock, "Christmas Storybook"

Christmas is coming: feeling anxious yet?

I came across a pointed article by Carey Keavy, over at Associated Content, on the subject of taking back the holidays--

One Weird Christmas: Ditching Holiday Traditions That Bog Us Down

by Carey Keavy

"Did I remember to lock the door? Have you seen my kids lately? What color hair does my husband have? What was my name again?" What do all of these questions have in common? They all signify the ringing in of the hustle and bustle of the holidays, of course!

Along with the wholesome family traditions of the season comes the negative traditions we've come to know and expect...worry, busyness, stress and anxiety. Some of these traditions we've inherited from the examples of our parents. Some we've conjured up anew and all on our own. Wouldn't attempting to shed some of these negative holiday traditions this year be the best gift to give both to yourself and those around you? (read more)

Holiday dinners don't have to be a lot of work...

...but let's face it, they can be a lot of work. Here are some tips to lighten the load--

• Buy the whole dinner pre-made. Lots of stores now offer a complete holiday "meal in a box." I can't attest to the quality of these particular commodities, never having eaten one (or at least I don't think I have); that's something you'll have to check out for yourself.


• Buy a precooked turkey or ham, and make the side dishes. All the big grocery stores have these now; some years ago I bought a pre-cooked, smoked turkey that you simply heat in the oven, and it was the most tender, luscious turkey I ever ate. Likewise, those Black-Label, spiral cut and pre-cooked hams are delectable.


• Mix and match. Buy some side dishes, make some. We all know that most of the big grocery stores have innumerable deli-foods available, and you can buy any kind of pie under the sun, fresh or frozen. Likewise, some of those gravies in a jar aren't too shabby; a little amending on your part can make them exceptional. And taters is just taters. They just plain. They just potatoes. You can buy them, fresh, mashed, ready to go.


• Dispense with the traditional holiday dinner altogether. I did this one year. Lay a nice tablecloth, set out good china and utensils, and load that table up with deli goodies and some traditional items, as well. Sliced meats, including turkey, marinated artichoke hearts, pickles and olives, specialty breads, shrimp wheel, christmas cookies, apple strudel, pumpkin pie, etc. Whatever you like, as much or as little as you want. You can mix and match, here, too. Make some of it, buy some of it. And make the table festive. Fancy Christmas napkins, Pointsettia, assorted decorations. No one is going to complain when they see all that good food, laid out so attractively (my base inclination is to say that if they do, tough, but you know your family situation better than I).


• Have a big Christmas breakfast instead of a big Christmas dinner. Souffle, quiche, eggs benedict, ham, blintzes, crepes - whatever you like. Save the afternoon for cuddling up and watching Christmas movies, visiting, playing games, listening to music. If you have company staying over, offer a light lunch/dinner.


• Whatever you're having, make the "atmosphere" special. Have a big pot of mulled cider or wine on the stove for people to dip into as they like. It smells wonderful, and it tastes great. Don't serve soda for drinks; that is, quite frankly, lame (recipes for holiday drinks will be forthcoming in the next few days). Get a bag of cinammon scented pine cones and some cheap baskets and distribute them throughout the house. Hang mistletoe. Do a Christmas simmering potpourri. Burn Christmas candles (observe proper candle safety). And for heaven's sake, turn the television off during dinner, and turn the Christmas music on, loud enough to be heard, but low enough to still allow conversation.

Finally, here's the most important tip of all. ASK FOR HELP. There is no shame in that. If you have kids, delegate. You may be the meal planner and the head cook, but that doesn't mean you're the prep cook, chef, dishwasher, and waiter all rolled up into one. Put the hubby to work, even if that's not the norm. Why is it that you should have to wait hand and foot on everyone, handle all the cleanup, and have very little time to relax and enjoy Christmas yourself?

Tips on Simplifying the Traditional Holiday Dinner

When it comes to your holiday dinner(s), it doesn't have to be Norman Rockwell. To the opposite extreme, you don't have to serve catfish (unless you really, really want to, and everyone is okay with that). It's a matter of finding a comfortable balance that doesn't leave you exhausted on the day after Christmas. Along those lines, it's important to be organized.

In their excellent book, Simplify the Holidays, Allana Baroni and Vicki Webster have developed a timetable to make the classic holiday dinner a lot easier on you, who has to prepare it.

The following is a dinner consisting of roast turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, a vegetable casserole, a salad, dinner rolls, followed by pie and whipped cream. You may adjust it according to your specific menu, and desired timetable - it's meant to be a general guide, only.

Note: If you're looking for simpler alternatives to the traditional Christmas dinner, see the post immediately following this one.

• One month out (now): Plan your menu; make your shopping list; take an inventory of china, silver, glassware, and serving pieces.


• Two weeks prior: Buy nonperishable food: flour, spices, canned pumpkin, frozen turkey and vegetables. Buy non-perishable beverages such as wine, liquor, and mixers.


• One week prior: Wash any serving pieces, glassware, silverware, carving knives, pitchers or plates that you haven't used lately.


• Three days prior: Buy perishable foods such as potatoes, vegetables for the casserole and salad, and any staples such as eggs and milk. Begin thawing turkey in the refrigerator.


• Two days prior: Buy fresh turkey (if not using frozen) and refrigerate; shop for supplies such as ice, rolls, and fresh herbs.


• One day prior: Make pies; clean house.


• Six to eight hours before serving: Set table. Make hors d'oeuvres and refrigerate.


• Three to five hours before serving: Make vegetable casserole, salad, and refrigerate. Prepare turkey and put it in the oven to roast, basting it periodically.*


• 1-1/2 hours before: Put giblets on to cook, if you're planning on having giblet gravy. Prepare stuffing and put it in the oven; peel and chop potatoes and put them on the stove to cook.


• One hour before: Arrange hors d'oeuvres on platters and set them out for guests. Remove vegetable casserole from the refrigerator.


• 30 minutes before: Check thermometer to see how quickly turkey is cooking; transfer stuffing to serving dish and keep warm; mash potatoes, cover, and keep warm.


• 20 minutes before: Remove turkey from oven and let stand; baste with pan juices. Leave oven to warm rolls and heat vegetable casserole. Put away appetizers.


• 10 minutes before: Remove rolls from oven; cover and keep warm; uncork red wine if you're serving it; fill water glasses; set out butter; toss salad with dressing. Make gravy.


• Immediately before serving: Transfer turkey to serving platter; transfer gravy to a gravy bowl; reheat stuffing, if necessary; transfer potatoes to serving dish; set out vegetable casserole, salad, rolls, and any condiments (e.g., cranberry sauce)


• After everyone has finished eating: Clear away plates and serving dishes; get them into a sink of sudsy water to soak - don't let food crust on them. You can put them in the dishwasher later. Set out dessert plates; make coffee/tea/other beverages; whip cream and offer dessert.

*Adjust the cooking times according to individual recipes and the size of the bird. Depending on your oven temperature, the turkey may take slightly more or less time to cook; start checking it at least a half hour before you expect it to be done.

Simplifying Christmas #1: Shopping for the adults in your life

Here are several ways you can make your Christmas shopping for the adults in your life a whole lot simpler, giving you time (and peace of mind) for doing other things:

• Get all the adults on your list the same thing, more or less. Some suggestions: Books of movie tickets, gift certificates, bottle of wine in a gift bag. Trader Joe's, I've noted, has gift certificates. I can't imagine anyone being unhappy about getting a Trader Joe's gift certificate. Most regional malls, as well, offer generic gift certificates, which can be used at any store. That could be your one and only (imagine that!) trip to the mall during the Christmas season - to buy gift certificates for everyone on your list. Some people consider this tacky, but I, personally, think it's thoughtful, because you are giving them whatever their little heart desires, and at the same time taking some pressure off of yourself, giving you time to focus more on experiences during the holidays. Because, as you grow old and wise, the experiences are what are going to really matter. Not the merchandise.


• Food baskets: Some people hate getting food baskets, some like it. Myself, I like it, a lot. If someone were to give me a basket full of tastefully arranged goodies that I enjoy: marinated artichoke hearts, smoked salmon, good cheese, crackers, English toffees, a pint of brandy--I'd be in 7th heaven. So, if you know (or can find out) what foods various family members really like, this is an excellent way to simplify. There are lots of places to get nice baskets at a reasonable price. Couple those with some fancy red cellophane, ribbon, and nice cards, then go food shopping. Do it all in an afternoon, and then prepare the gifts while watching a Christmas movie, or listening to Christmas music in the evening. Make it a family affair, if you have a spouse and kids. And remember - you can throw in other things besides food. Votive candles, sachets, incense, soaps, lip balm, etc., etc.


• Consider giving someone something they can do, rather than just things they can keep (to gather dust, sometimes). Know a golfer? Buy him/her "x" number of games at a local course, and throw in some golfing gear to go with the certificate. The same applies to a bowler. My guess is that if you're at the bowling alley with cash in hand, even if they technically don't offer gift certificates, they'll work something out. All you have to do is ask.


• Along the lines of giving people things they can do, season passes for various venues can be a great present. Season tickets to the local symphony, or the local theater company. An annual membership to the Seattle Art Museum is only $35 for a senior, $30 for a student, and $75 for a dual membership. Or an annual membership to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. Once you start looking around, you'll find a surprising number of gift opportunities like this, many of which can be purchased online.


• What about getting adults "gifts for the soul?" Replicas of antique toys, for example. Generally speaking, something quaint and colorful will please, just for the emotions it evokes. You also might find some real antique toys at antique stores or thrift shops. For Western Washingtonians, the city of Snohomish has some excellent antique stores.