Developing Usable Experiences

Coming up on Christmas

December 22nd, 2008 6:24 am —  22 views

downtown_traversePerhaps tainted as a child, Christmas has always been a little difficult to deal with. As I’ve gotten older (and more introspective) I know why this is. But it doesn’t make it any easier. The excitement of presents and “that thing you’ve always wanted” is what so many of us are inadvertently conditioned to think Christmas was about. But it isn’t. I know this now.

My mother used to work so hard to be able to give us boys gifts, and I realize now that it wasn’t about the gifts so much as it was about the giving, about wanting to show someone else how much you cared about them. She wanted to give us the world. Instead we got underwear and socks. In essence, the same thing.

For a number of years now, W. and I have stayed home for the holidays. This time of year travel can be treacherous and after the chaos of our jobs, we appreciate the downtime to decompress our brains and prepare for the new year. But we still struggle with the notion of Christmas and that it should be something awesome and eternally memorable. The media frenzy of the holidays and push to get people to spend their money is a factor I suppose.

So this year W. and I are looking at Christmas and preparing ourselves as best we can. It’ll be fine, we’ll hang out…play some games, listen to Christmas music, exchange some gifts. I’m going to focus on letting her know how important she is to me. Whether she likes her gifts or not.

And a few days after Christmas, we get to visit with family. A caravan of my kin are scheduled to arrive next weekend. We’re looking forward (with some hesitation as this has never happened) to seeing everybody at our house.

Image: Taken a couple weekends ago in downtown Traverse City. I grabbed my camera as we headed into the town hoping to get a decent shot of the lights. The exposure and our motion made for the blurred effect…no Photoshop this time.

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3 Responses to “Coming up on Christmas”

  1. Laiane on January 2nd, 2009 11:15 pm

    I must say I share your feelings about Christmas. I prefer staying at home with The Husband and making a good Christmas dinner for the two of us over running around, shopping, spending, trying to live up to expectations, etc.

  2. Ma on January 7th, 2009 12:40 pm

    I remember one thing about 1 one of my boys at Christmas, one thing that stands out and at times makes me sad. I remember him saying that he never got what he wanted for Christmas.
    Still, I wouldn’t want to change the past, it’s what made both he and I what and who we are today. And, well, he’s a pretty neat young man. And, I’m getting better everyday.

  3. Spike on January 7th, 2009 7:11 pm

    Sorry Ma, that was probably me. Little did I know that nobody ever gets what they want. They get what they need (mostly).

    I think I’ve mentioned before how in buddhism there is the state of being known as “the hungry ghost”…eats and eats but is never full. Seems like kids and wants can be similar.

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