Monday, November 18, 2013

My Favorite Holiday

Crispy, cold air. The smell of woodsmoke in the air. Big smiles on kids faces. Bells, jingling everywhere you go. 
I love Xmas. I'm not even Xtian and I love it. 
I love seeing my niece shriek with joy when she opens the tool set or the books we got her. Everyone else gets her dolls but she knows Aunt Kerrie buys her fun gifts.
I thoroughly enjoy the White Elephant game my family plays---the rule is you must bring something used to exchange. One particularly ugly set of towels made it to the White Elephant six years in a row, until one of my aunts finally took them to goodwill. 
I am overjoyed by the food. All of the women in my family are always dieting so there's more pie for me. 
I don't generally like my family, but for a few magical hours on Xmas Eve...we all get along. 

I adore spending Xmas Day at my in-laws. C's mom always slips me a fifty dollar bill and tells me, "Don't pay bills with it. And don't buy C anything with it. Spend it on yourself". 
It makes me laugh when her Uncle Derek (who refers to me as his white niece)tells me that I'm *almost* part of the family. Almost. 
I love how her aunt drives up from Atlanta with gallons of a special brand of ice cream you can only get in Georgia. They bring so much it barely fits in the freezer. 
I revel in all of the visitors--her extended family is huge and everyone shows up with hugs, food, and laughter. 

It wasn't always like this. For years I refused to celebrate the holiday due to its associations with consumerism. I hated the crowds. I was saddened by the excessive spending and the sheer wastefulness of it all. 
I also didn't like the Jesus aspect of it. I hated all of the pins and shirts that touted Jesus as the reason for the season, when for the majority people it really isn't. 

A few years ago, I realized something important. The holiday season isn't about shopping and buying and excessive consumption. 
It also isn't about Jesus, at least bit for me. 

It's about family and friends and laughing together and reminding them of how much you care. That, to me, is the real reason for the season. 


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