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.

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)