{"id":1648,"date":"2012-10-29T16:05:00","date_gmt":"2012-10-29T16:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irreverin.com\/?p=1648"},"modified":"2012-10-29T16:05:00","modified_gmt":"2012-10-29T16:05:00","slug":"simple-gifts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/2012\/10\/simple-gifts\/","title":{"rendered":"Simple Gifts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Every year we complain.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe traffic is terrible!\u201d \u201cThe lines are ridiculous!\u201d \u201cThe stuff is out in October!\u201d \u201cIf i hear one more Celine Dion \u2018O Holy Night,\u2019 I\u2019m going to puke!\u201d \u201cMy credit card bill is outrageous!\u201d<\/p>\n

And then, every year\u2026every year of the world\u2026we do it all again.<\/p>\n

Why do we think this is what the season has to look like? We\u2019ve been programmed, is why. And who is programming us? Retailers. Credit card companies. The vast and varied entertainment industries. They are counting on the chaos and cash of Christmas. It\u2019s crummy and it\u2019s corny. (You\u2019re welcome, English majors).<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve been talking for years about shopping less, buying less, and spending less. And yet, for many people, what that means is more trips out into the madness to nail down the best deals, and spend the least amount possible on the most stuff.<\/p>\n

What few people talk about\u2013in the secular world, OR the faith community\u2013is the toll on our soul, when this rush lasts for the full season of Advent, AND the 6 weeks before\u2026and the week or so after. It isn\u2019t just the financial strain of all the running and buying; there is a very real spiritual stress that comes from putting ourselves in the midst of this frenzied environment. (Not to mention the very real health hazards that come from road rage, towering aisle displays=concussions waiting to happen, and the crazy [crazy] women at the craft stores. Lord help us all.)<\/p>\n

This year, I\u2019m not just spending less\u2013i\u2019m doing less. With a few exceptions (like an area assembly of the Church, and some day trips with our Thanksgiving guests) i am staying within a 6.5 mile radius of my house until January. (I know that is a very specific number\u2013but that is how far the church is from home. So\u2026) I will not be visiting a Target or HomeDepot or HobbyLobby. Nor will i go to Costco or Trader Joe\u2019s, because they are too close to the dang mall. It goes without saying that i will not be going to the mall. If it\u2019s not on amazon.com, then i don\u2019t need it.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll talk on another day about all the ways magazines and \u2018news\u2019 shows are telling me to help people out \u2018during the holiday season.\u2019 As if Jesus only ever healed lepers on his birthday? Anyway\u2026 if you really want to help others this holiday season, think of folks who are lonely would love to spend a few hours of time with you. Think simple.<\/p>\n

And also, shop simple. Donate to the Heifer Project<\/a>; you can tell your loved ones that you bought them a donkey, which is pretty badass (ha ha). And meanwhile, you are helping a family\u2013really, a whole village\u2013in a developing country to develop sustainable means of living. Likewise, you can find a great fair trade <\/a>store in your area, or shop online at Ten Thousand Villages<\/a>. Buy really cool, unique stuff from the global community, and help artists and farmers make an honest living. (Also, it\u2019s time we learn to buy things that don\u2019t come from a factory in China. For more reasons than one). There\u2019s also\u00a0Etsy<\/a> if you want authentic craft without being such a hippie about it. This is what the crazy Hobby Lobby moms go home and make in their Pinterest-ed laundry rooms. Better than a sweatshop in China\u2026<\/p>\n

And if there is that one gift that your kid really, really wants, and you don\u2019t want to be a bad Santa, then there\u2019s this magical thing called amazon.com. They deliver quick, and for free. That\u2019s where my magic princess whatever is going to come from this year, and the rest I\u2019ve been collecting from consignment sales. And when i say \u2018the rest,\u2019 my kids each get 3 or 4 things to open, plus stockings. Plus whatever comes from grandma. It is always more than enough.<\/p>\n

And what is enough? We ask ourselves the same thing every year. Maybe it\u2019s time to change the conversation; instead of asking, \u2018what is enough?\u2019 maybe we need to be saying, \u2018what is too much?\u201d I know what is too much for me\u2013with my increasing tendencies toward anxiety in big crowd situations, the mall is too much. Target is too much. The craft store <\/em>is, Lord help me, more than I can bear. It is costly to my soul, and so I am going to be home, chilling in my sweats with some hot chocolate, while the rest of the world shops. Til it drops. Literally.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s too much for you? Your limit might be different than mine, and you might find great comfort and joy in all that madness. But whatever your \u2018too much\u2019 might be, know when you\u2019ve hit it. And, for the sake of your spirit, your bank account, and the planet, know when you\u2019ve had enough, and just go home. Be in the presence of the people you love, and maybe even get into the wilderness. There\u2019s a rhythm of grace there, close to your house and your heart, and you don\u2019t even have to wait in line to find it.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a little travelling music<\/a>. Do yourself a favor and skip the ad. Then, enjoy the journey\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every year we complain. \u201cThe traffic is terrible!\u201d \u201cThe lines are ridiculous!\u201d \u201cThe stuff is out in October!\u201d \u201cIf i hear one more Celine Dion \u2018O Holy Night,\u2019 I\u2019m going to puke!\u201d \u201cMy credit card bill is outrageous!\u201d And then, every year\u2026every year of the world\u2026we do it all again. Why do we think this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1154,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,65,13,5],"tags":[57,761,58,762,725,763,553],"class_list":["post-1648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-advent-and-christmas","category-being-a-person","category-desert-life","category-faith-and-community","tag-advent","tag-bargains","tag-christmas","tag-fair-trade","tag-holidays","tag-pinterest","tag-shopping"],"yoast_head":"\nSimple Gifts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Every year we complain. "The traffic is terrible!" "The lines are ridiculous!" "The stuff is out in October!" 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