A Thankful Bah Humbug

Last weekend, I was driving around and happened to turn to a local radio station because all the other ones were playing dumb songs. I was shocked (and a bit appalled) that they were already playing Christmas music.

I am not anti-Christmas by any means. I enjoy that time of year (especially if we are graced with enough snow to play in), but I always am a proponent of having Christmas be smaller. I am fine with the fact that we have lots of family coming and going, as well as having to jump from my family events to Wifey's family events since we are lucky enough to have them both in town. I am fine being out among the hordes of shoppers. What really gets my goat is when people start celebrating the holiday before Thanksgiving.

We have a holiday that is based around being grateful for the things we have. I have a hypothesis that if people really spent the time to remember what they had (instead of what they want) that they would be a lot more content. This is why I get so up in arms that people overlook Thanksgiving so much. I think that the Spirit of Thanksgiving is actually what people are looking for when they so frequently reference the Spirit of Christmas—being kind to others and including others. Thanksgiving is about remembering what is truly important. If you remembered what was important to you, you might be a bit more giving throughout the year.

But enough grumbling.

Because that month between Thanksgiving and Christmas always seems to get sucked into some time black hole, I always enjoy ways to simplify Christmas. I am not always good at those things (like getting shopping done early), but I do like figuring them out.

This is why I was delighted to find a blogger who makes a non-traditional advent calendar each year. Instead of having a candy to open each day, you get an envelope each day that tells you something to do. You can fit it in to your own schedule and do things that are meaningful for your family. It struck me as the perfect way to reclaim some of your time from that cosmic time black hole.

To make it even easier on you, this blogger has links to templates to make envelopes to make. I am sure that everyone who has ever been involved with crafts can find some scrapbooking paper lying around. Plus, you get an opportunity to take some time with your family.

If you are looking for something to do besides watch football while you are lounging around Thanksgiving afternoon, this project might be a good alternative.