Market, I mean Merry Christmas!

I almost want to stop celebrating Christmas. I know. It's shocking. It's not Christmas I dislike, it's what Christmas has become. Christmas is about spirit. It's about loved ones and cozy fires and good times. It is not about shopping, retailers, or their profit margins. I think what Christmas has become is a symptom of the current American problem with spending. Retailers count the days leading up to every black Friday shopping blitz and it can make or break their profit margins. Do you really think that is what S. Claus intended? I don't think spreading cheer had anything to do with making sure some CEO has a golden parachute. A couple of years ago our family dedcided to change things up a little. Everybody brings a wrapped gift with no one person in mind and the spending limit is twenty dollars. The first person picks a gift from the pile and opens it (we draw numbers to see who goes first.) The second person goes, they can either take the first persons gift or open a new one. The game goes on like that gifts taken, new gifts opened, til the last person goes. Its a great time. Somebody always gets stuck with the worst gift ever. Like the year my twelve year old cousin Jake got the fondue pot and we all laugh about it. The games create laughter and stories for years. No one worries about who spent how much money on who or if they have enough money to shop for everyone this year. That is what Christmas is all about. Memories of family fun and sharing. So screw the retailers and how much money they made this year and how that affects the market. My wish for everyone this year is to celebrate Christmas in and with the spirit it was meant to have, no matter which way it takes for you to find that. If you can do that, no matter how much money you have, you can always have Christmas.