Christmas Pleasin'

Christmas.

Tis the season of... maxed out credit cards, busy schedules, ruined diets, high electric bills, bitter cold winds, school exams, special concerts, full houses, hyper children, and cranky moms.

I am sure I left out some of the seasonal descriptions, but you get the picture.
I am not feeling it today. Seriously, I'm not.

In all my efforts to put myself "in" the Christmas spirit, I have managed to talk myself out of it by my mere observations and current life experiences. Life is busy. Too busy. And people are cranky. Too cranky. And the meaning of Christmas, well it has been lost.

I "began" the holiday season on Black Friday with many other anxious shoppers. Thousands of people attempted to find parking, find a space in line, and find that "special" gift. I witnessed customer upon customer argue, fuss, and fight over plasma TV's and leave stores with shopping carts full of hundreds and thousands of dollars worth of materialistic possessions.

In the recent weeks I have participated in various activities ranging from caroling to parties to concerts. We have decorated our house, attempted "family time" and purchased a few gifts.

And yet.
I feel like the Grinch.

Why?

Because I am too busy trying to please and appease the consumeristic and false sense of "joy" and "cheer" that seems to permeate our society.

Apparently real "joy" can only be achieved through ruined credit and days so busy that you hardly have time to breathe. Apparently real "cheer" can only be gained by buying so many presents that our greedy little children do nothing more but perpetuate the greed in their own young lives. Obviously real "love" is only spread when we force our children to put on nice clothes and smile pretty for the fake "happy family" photo op.

I told you I am feeling "Grinch-y".

Of course those are not the way we achieve joy, cheer, or love. But it appears that our culture is on a crazy merry-go-round that gets faster and faster with each year. And the whole "keeping up with the Jones" is never more prominent than this time of year. It seems to me that most of us spend the entire "holiday season" trying to please everyone else.

We "have" to purchase an insane amount of gifts to make our kids happy.
We "have" to attend every party available to make ourselves seem popular.
We "have" to dress nicely to appear that we are festive.

And then of course the debates of whether or not to "do" Santa, to use credit cards, to decorate... etc, etc, etc. It seems that the holidays have become more and more about us and less and less about Him. Or anyone else for that matter.

Sometimes I even feel that the only reason people give to the Salvation Army, Toys for Tots or any other Holiday charity is so they can claim their "good deed" for the year.

Honestly, is this what we have become? Greedy, selfish, arrogant, and horribly confused.

Think about it.
What have you done this Christmas season all in the name of trying to please or appease someone else? What have you done this Christmas season out of obligation?

More to come.
I promise, I am not truly a Grinch.
You'll see. :-)