Simple Wordly Stuff

This morning I was thinking about my cute little Christmas tree.  It is the leftover top portion from our large family Costco lighted tree we crammed into my condo last year.  It was no easy task since I had to free it from the tangle of lights.  But this year, instead wrestling with the big tree and decorating it,  I just stuck the top part in a pot, put it on the glass coffee table and called it good.  I  threw a string of lights on hung a sample of all of Grandma B's keepsake ornaments and then wrapped Cassia's homemade quilted Santa runner around the base of the pot.  My daughter reaction..."Well, that's cute but that's only the Thanksgiving tree-right?"   I said, "Nope-that's it."  I referred her to the carefully placed block sign reading, "Simplify."  That's my theme-this year.  

Taking inspiration from the theme, I threw together a simple Christmas celebration for my son on Thanksgiving night since he will not be here later this month.  I guess Thanksgiving and Christmas in one day isn't so simple, and my children were mad that they weren't given sufficient warning to thoughtfully buy their brother his Christmas presents, but I did it anyway.  I went to our ghost-town Shopko, which come to find is AWESOME for shopping Black Friday Deals in 1 HOUR, wrapped his presents and stuck them under the tree.  My children didn't all arrive until about 11 p.m but we gathered and it was good.  I did my traditional poem/song lesson thing, we opened gifts, and then Chase sang and played the guitar for us till about 1:00 a.m.  It felt like Christmas to me and perhaps it did for my son as well, even though he accidentally left his box of presents in the driveway while loading his car.  I don't think the gifts were exactly what he needed and wanted-but I wanted to make some type of gesture to show my love for him during the holidays, even if it was completely haphazard.

As a parent, one of the most complex and stressful parts about Christmas is getting the "perfect" gift for each child-the one that will get the magical reaction of being "exactly what they wanted."  It is the most satisfying aspect of watching them open their presents. I usually like to orchestrate the whole event by starting slowly with things they need (like underwear) and ending on a dramatic crescendo with the GIFT!  It's not easy to do, and sometimes it's hit or miss.  In regards to dollars and cents-helping them out with their stupid cell phones, car problems,  school expenses or credit issues-could easily count as "the gift"- That's your Christmas-enjoy it.  However, I like to be able to help.  I can't always help. I definitely cannot give them everything they want and need-These days I can only make simple gestures toward that end.  And in the end all this "stuff" is just a symbol of my love and my desire to give my children THE WORLD.

My children's father was like that- he wanted to give his children the world because he truly loved them.  No matter how much money we had, Christmas was always a greed frenzy-so many gifts-so over the top-so much stuff-even if it was all from the thrift store.  His love strategy was stuff.  My love strategy has never been stuff. In fact, at times during our marriage, I felt like I was drowning in stuff-and come to find out, most of the stuff wasn't even ours in the first place.  I could write volumes about what I have learned about the stuff. I became an expert on the psychology of “stuff”through exposure and observation- by feeling it, touching it, organizing it, buying it, looking at it, thinking about it, carting it around, and GETTING RID OF IT.  Stuff is complex-getting rid of it the excess is one of the most basic ways to simplify.  At least this helps me so I can be a better steward over what I already have.

Nevertheless, simply saying, "I Love You" with a barren tree without any gifts under it wouldn't go over too well with the kids. I'm glad we can try to wrap that love up in box accompanied with our desire to give the children all the stuff in the world-both tangible and intangible good things of the earth.  After all, God gave us stuff. The scriptures state, "I stretched out the heavens, and build the earth, my very handiwork; and all things are mine and it is my purpose to provide...for the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yeah I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves."   How grateful I am that God gave each of his children THE WORLD.  And though I hate stuff at times,  I love it too, especially the gesture of gift giving and the symbols represented by stuff-even if it's just simple stuff.