What Is Christmas? Sit down, I'll tell you...

Depending on your culture, family heritage, childhood environment, beliefs and religious convictions, the holidays mean different things to different people. Being interfaith, my family is no different.

But for me personally, Christmas (or, in my case Yule) is about the festivities, the joys (whatever those are for myself), the hope the season brings for the new year ahead, the miracle that is the cycle of the seasons, mother Earth, the God and Goddess, the sun's rebirth, the beauty and wonder of the season. But if you were to ask me what I want for Yule every year, my answer never changes: I want memories.

The holidays for me are mental photographs and videos of great memories with my family. For some reason, I live off of them all year long. I remember them and anticipate with joy and contentment the exciting holidays to come each year, the anticipation at the memories I know will form, the contentment of my heart and the peace in my soul every holiday, doing everything I love: Giving, cooking, hosting and laughing. And, yes, I am one of those rare gems that likes to discuss politics (even if you don't agree with me) over dinner. Life is filled with wonder and beauty and joy and good and the holidays are the perfect time I take to slow down mentally and physically to just absorb it all, to remember it second for second.

I hear some people complain about the holidays. And all I can think is, they are just doing it wrong. The reason for this must be guilt, for one, and fear, for two, then obligation for three. But it is also stressful because of those things, you feel you have to go broke to please family 9you don't) you think you have to make every celebration event (you don't) and you think you have to fear what others will think of you if you do what is right and take the holiday to appreciate it and embrace it for what is best for you. You don't HAVE to do any of those things, and that is the beauty of holidays.

The market has capitalized on holidays like Christmas and birthdays. What would change this is people spending less money on stuff and spending more time (something money cannot buy) with their loved ones, without shame or fear or guilt. And the family, they have to accept this lifestyle and in turn appreciate the time they get with their loved ones minus the materials and gifts and "stuff".

I am in no way saying gifts are wrong or bad. As you likely already know, I shower my kids and my husband with gifts and my husband showers me with gifts as well. But we don't only do this during the holidays, we do it just because,m we do it on anniversaries, or when a loved one is ill, we do loving things because we want to, not because we have to.
That said, I do believe gifts are actually a big part of the holiday.... For YOUR family. For my family, it is outside immediate family members such as in-laws. We keep it all between the four of us, because that's what we want.

It's also very hard for me to mingle with my in laws and celebrate the holidays since I celebrate them in an entirely different aspect than they do. They celebrate Jesus, his sacrifice, gift giving, materials and the commercialized aspect of it.

I celebrate it with spells, incantations, devotions, dancing, fire, nature, the sun, the moon, the animals, and the gifts are just a bonus because I truly enjoy giving to my kids and my husband, especially during the holidays. This is my time of year where I can spend as much as I want on gifts and get them each something they've always wanted. Would Yule be over if we stopped doing gifts? Not at all! There is the volunteering, the giving, the charities. There is the holiday meal, the spiritual observance of it. There is the time with my family, but most of all there are the MEMORIES.

I love spoiling my kids. I also love teaching them about giving back and kindness and loving others and compassion. I love teaching them about family values and the joys of the season, what makes the holiday really great: Memories.