The real gifts
Toolbox
Published: December 14, 2007
It is hard at times not to feel that the annual winter journey through ho-ho-ho land has taken on all the attributes of a seasonal affective disorder, equal parts compulsion, angst and irrationality. What else to make of the irresistible urge to spend extravagantly and buy beyond our means, despite knowing down deep that the meaning of Christmas giving isn't measured by excess, the stack of bright presents under the tree or the savings we got from the $10 off coupon that arrived in the mail. It's irrational to spend a fortune and put it all on plastic when we know the bill's going to come due at interest rates bordering on (or breaching) usury. Then there's the anxiety of those who are just barely surviving in today's economy: for some, Christmas is one vast party to which they're not invited. No surprise that depression hits at this time of year, spurred by the forced expression of mistletoe and jolly when loved ones are gone or far away (or simply because rampant commercialism is itself depressing).
In truth, it's hard to resist the vast empire of Christmas we have constructed, a massive commercial engine that coughs to life with a mighty roar at the very hint of Thanksgiving, building speed as it passes markers on the highway to Dec. 25 – Black Friday, Cyber Monday, only (pick your number) days left before Christmas – ending as it runs out of gas with the day-after-Christmas sales.
There is, of course, much consternation in the Christmas empire this year, which is trembling with fear that shoppers will not empty their wallets at the high altars of techo-gadgetry, in the whimsical realms of toyland and the pleasured castles of luxurious and sporting goods (the extensive virtues of which all those ads on TV are only too willing to tell us). That's not surprising when oil spurts to $90 a barrel, draining shopper's wallets and sending many items up in cost (such as the gas it takes to visit Christmas land). Santa's minions shudder to contemplate that the cost of living should outweigh the costs of giving and spoil this paean to commerce.
Hurtling through this frenzied season, it's all too easy to forget both Christmas' religious roots in the celebration of the Christ child's birth and its pagan roots celebrating the winter solstice and Yuletide time. The Christian celebration is one of redemption and rejoicing, simplicity and love, of a humble child born in the manger to redeem mankind; the pagan is of celebration and family and rejoicing at the turn of the winter's shortest, darkest day at a harsh time of year.
Both offer us a way out of the disorder of the season, and into the heart of Christmas, which is closely allied with the time-honored Vermont traditions of small-town community. Here resides a simple message. Gather with close friends and loved ones, they are worth more than any present. Open your doors to someone who is alone, or volunteer your companionship to those less fortunate. Buy or make a gift of food for those who are hungry, and deliver the gift of good will with presents for those who can't share the joy.
And here's another worthwhile gift: Resolve to go downtown and buy local, for when you do you're helping fellow Vermonters, helping keep the jobs they provide, and the many donations they make to our communities. Chances are, you'll avoid Chinese lead-painted toys and jewelry in the process, no small gift to yourself and your kids.
Lastly, try and remember every day, as the sparkling snowflakes grace our landscape, that the spirit of Christmas isn't found in the TV ads or radio jingles and mall store aisles, but in yourself. Take a deep breath, bake some cookies (fill the house with that wonderful aroma) and remember that a present might please for a week or two (or at least until the batteries go dead).) A gift of yourself lasts longer and blesses both those who receive, and those who give.
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