I don’t remember everything I ever got for Christmas.  Do you?  There were a few things that stood out.  I remember a grown up pre-Barbie dress up doll my sister ordered with cereal boxtops, a Tiny Tears baby doll, and Melody Bells, a musical toy.  My oldest brother, away at college, sent me a stuffed animal pooch that I carried around until the stuffing started falling out.  I remember my parents giving me my older sister’s used bike for Christmas one year. : (

When I was old enough to write I made the annual wish list/letter to Santa. The lists got more elaborate as the years passed.  New fads and new gadgets began populating the list.  I imagine my parents were as uncertain about what to get teens then as most parents of teenagers are today.  That ’s when they began giving us cards with dollar bills to spend.  There’s good and bad in that. It’s still a gift, and there is magic in suddenly having money to spend.  I did the same thing with my teens when I discovered that almost every item I bought was likely to end up a return.  Except that it wasn’t cash, it was a gift card.  But, somehow, I felt like I was missing something.  Something tangible in the gift process.

Several years ago I had the privilege of working with a kindly gentleman in his late 70s.  He had a lovely tradition with his teen-aged grandchildren.  He also gave them money, but they spent it while visiting him.  He took them to various stores in the mall and they had a shopping day together.  Lunch out, as well.  He didn’t actually go in the stores, rather he waited happily in the mall in one of those comfortable chairs, reading the paper, or doing a crossword puzzle.  Shopping isn’t nearly so tiring if you bring a book.  : )

What I liked most about his solution was that he got in on the gift.  He experienced the excitement of it.  The gift was not so much a thing, as an adventure, a shared occasion.  And lunch out was a bonus, both for the giver and the gifted.  I think I’ll try it one of these days.  It could work.

Oh how I love December!  There’s so much going on!  Christmas shopping.  Christmas parties.  Christmas gifts.  Holiday travel.  Christmas music.  Christmas decorations!  The whole month is one great big brightly decorated spectacle!  You can have as much or as little of it as you want!  It’s all out there just for the taking!  You can have a big big Christmas celebration, or one of much smaller proportions.   It’s all up to you.

When I was a child my parents would dress us in our pajamas and slippers and robes and put us in the back seat of our old Buick and drive up and down the streets known as Santa Claus Lane.  It was somewhere in the Hollywood area, I’m guessing.  The magic of the night lit up  by strings of   Christmas  lights and populated with pretend reindeer, elves,  and gigantic Santas on the roof was thrilling.

When my own children were small our city had a neighborhood designated as Candy Cane Lane.  The majority of the homes had elaborate decorations, and we walked along admiring the sights and sounds of Christmas.  These days, when we can’t find streets to cruise, we look for the most beautifully decorated shopping mall and just cruise it without any intention of spending or the pressure of a list.   The stores outdo themselves decorating, and children still line up to visit Santa.   If you have nothing on your mind beyond the grand Christmas tree and amazing decorations, and maybe treating yourselves to a holiday cookie, or candy, you can have a warm, indoor holiday excursion.   Without the pajamas.

I am hoping you had a spectacular Thanksgiving surrounded by friends and family.  If you hosted it you have leftovers!  The best part of the day after Thanksgiving is the leftovers.  If you were the guest, perhaps you were lucky enough to be sent home with some turkey and dressing in an aluminum foil packet.  What that means is……today you don’t have to cook!   Hooray!   In fact, today you should just flat out take the day off.

In case you don’t know how to do that, it means, do nothing.  Rest on the couch.  Read to the children.  Sit at the park. Relax.  Do a puzzle.  Take a nap.  Watch a movie. Visit with your friends or family.  Leave all thought of housework or work alone.  This is the day to refresh and recover.  And tomorrow, too if you can get away with it.  You earned it.  Enjoy it.

Thanksgiving kicks off the holiday season.  The next 4 weeks will fly by in a blur of holiday activities, shopping, parties, and maybe even travel.   This may be the only unscheduled day in your calendar.  So, just for today, take the day off.