What Are The Important Things?

And Mother Nature showed up on Sunday with a wee bit of a touch of sunshine and a couple more degrees on the thermometer, as well. The town is starting to look festive and the stores are seeing items rung up on the cash register. For many, the Christmas sales is their biggest time in sales. For some, as evidenced through a search through the archives weekly, it might mean the difference between holding on for another year, or closing the doors and counting the loss.

Even as I glanced through the history from 10 years ago, throughout the year the ads for businesses followed by the ads for the holidays changes, often dramatically. A good part of that has to do with locals flocking to stores out of town when comparable items are available locally. Sure, you might save $2.79 on something, but did you take into consideration what that mere amount of pocket change really costs? Look at the wear and tear on your vehicle, the ga$ money spent, meals for the family – once or twice around, and the exhaustion that everyone ends up with?

But…fortunately…you might go on a Saturday or Sunday and the only one(s) really affected are the teachers who get to enjoy tired, unproductive, crabby children and teens. (*Oh why didn’t we think of that before? Add to their pressure of keeping everyone focused and get through the holiday haze and hassle. Throw in a full moon and what more could a teacher ask for?)

Just like the hours spent in the kitchen preparing that turkey for the family to enjoy in fifteen minutes, the time that it takes to unwrap the gifts that took hours to decide on and was so delicately wrapped, it’s all over in another fifteen minutes.

Look through the crystal ball and look beyond the glitter and bling.

Ask yourself, “…what are the real important things?”

When these businesses are asked to donate or support your local youth groups, clubs, organizations or classes and are unable to because of budgetary issues, who will support them? Quickly run to the nearest big chain or conglomerate…SURELY they will donate and support their projects.

I sincerely doubt it. The number that do is minimal.

Today, is Sunday, as I sit at the desk and prepare this. The stores locally are open for business. Some are seeing some traffic and sales. Then there are those that are open, paying staff to be there and the jingle on the doors appears to be the only jingle in the store. Small town America is feeling the crunch.

A local 4-H Club had a bake sale on Friday and accommodated the businesses by bringing by their homemade baked goods since the businesses were working. This was a great project. The youth baked the delights, drove around and offered them to the businesses and THEN…they turned around and spent that $$$ on little kids and youth in the community that might not have as grand of a Christmas as they themselves might.

That…my friends…is what Christmas is about – caring and sharing, and giving.

This year would be a great year to do some writing or journaling. Sit down with your parents, grandparents or great-grandparents and listen to them as they tell you what it was like when they were little or younger. Put it down and share it with other family members, maybe those far away or those who don’t get home often. There are places online you can make your own book or album…make one for them and whoever should share in the real memories of Christmas.

Or type up what was shared with you, laminate the pages and make it into your own book. I would be glad to help you do this if you let me know. Pages that are laminated are resistant to tears of joy as one reads what becomes a treasure.

Years ago…many…Sid and I put together the first ever (and I think the only) family reunion for his mother’s side of the family. There were quite a few of the 10 siblings still living at the time and I randomly selected a sibling for each of them to write a page about ~ incidents, what they were like, whatever they selected for them to share. It was priceless to learn what these siblings had done! Of course, none of them knew who had been assigned their name and the element of surprises was not to be outdone. That, in turn, started new conversations and memories. The funniest part was that I had numbered 10 or 12 copies of the booklets with the same number, say 14, and in the front of the book was a disclaimer that whoever ended up with #14 out of the 60 we made – was to host the next reunion. When they read this you should have seen the booklets flipped to the back page where the number was ~ and the moans and groans begin! I had to tell them it was just a joke…relax. They must have taken it seriously, as I said, that was in 1990 and there hasn’t been one since!

And that isn’t something you can buy.

Another thing you can’t buy…is memories. Make an effort to make some soon. You’ll be glad you did.