We survived the Thanksgiving feast in my kids' class today! It actually was quite a bit of fun and nice to visit with some of the other parents and my friends which makes me feel bad using the word "survived" since it connotes something negative, but there were a lot of steps to get this to happen! We had to go to the store last night and pick up some turkey breasts. Today after dropping the kids off, I had to head home, heat up and then cut the turkey, heat up some gravy, then pack it and get it to school on time. (That being said, although I love to cook and was planning on making the turkey for the class, it was so much easier to spend $8.99 and get two completely cooked turkey breasts!)
Enough whining. After convincing my kids that there was NO WAY that they were going outside to play in the pouring rain, (JJ: "But Mommy, I PROMISE I won't get wet! I just want to go check the creek!"), I turned on the TV and knew that I had 30 minutes to do something in peace and quiet! So I sat in my office and read the introduction to Hundred Dollar Holiday by Bill McKibben. It was 6 short pages, but it definitely got me thinking.
He opens by saying that when he and his friends first started with this idea, they were called "grinches" by many. But after reading his daughter's book about the Grinch, he no longer felt bad when called that word because, if you recall, Christmas still came even after the Grinch stole all the trappings! At that point, McKibben felt that the real grinches were the commercial forces who "have spent more than a century trying to convince us that Christmas does come from a store, or a catalogue, or a virtual mall on the Internet."
He goes on to say that the original idea for the hundred dollar holiday came more from concern for the environment and the poor (things he has written extensively about), but as their campaign progressed, they heard more and more people saying that they didn't just want things simpler in their lives, they also wanted more joy at Christmas. "Christmas had become something to endure at least as much as it had become something to enjoy--something to dread at least as much as something to look forward to."
McKibben also says that he chose "hundred dollar" because it sounded good with "holiday," but he goes on to acknowledge that larger families may want to spend more, and smaller families may want to spend less. And he definitely acknowledges that changing our Christmas patterns will not be simple--especially with extended family and with kids. He also tells us that it might takes years to make these changes. So he's giving us some time to work our way through and see how we can do this best for our families. I appreciate that! I already felt tense and "grinch-like" as I write this, hoping that people won't think I am stingy and uncaring! But I know for a fact that this is a road that I would like to travel, no matter how long or how winding it may be.
Two of my friends are already on this road. One wanted to clean out her garage and mentioned some of the old toys that she had in there that were still in perfect condition. She offered to just give some to me, and then she sold a rather pricey item to our other friend who was thrilled that she spent less than half of what she would have paid had she bought it at the store (which she was planning on doing)! Who cares if it didn't come out of a box on Christmas Day! What if we planned some toy swaps early next November? That would take care of two issues at once--cleaning out the house AND getting great ready-to-be-passed-on presents!
Try this: Listen to the words that you are using when you talk about the holidays and see where it takes you.
Found your blog from a link on another blog... Love the $100 dollar Christmas idea. I run a Creatuive Reuse Center - We use business (and residential) waste to encourage creativity. I'm always amazed at what businesses find to be trash.
In any case, We offer classes for both kids and adults to come in and make presents during the holidays. One of the greatest compliments I got was a parent who told me that after attending a class last year, her child finally learned the meaning of giving. http://www.recreate.org
Posted by: Donna Sangwin | November 29, 2009 at 07:22 AM
Interesting how many of us gathered at our children's schools to have a feast. I organized my son's at his kindergarten and after 20 pounds of turkey and 4 pumpkin pies were eaten, we all felt pretty thankful. It was our first experience with a musical and poetic presentation with the children lined up in paper Pilgrim hats and Indian headbands and matching paper vests. Good photo ops.
Onto your Hundred Dollar Christmas. I remember last year ound this time you spoke of this at one of our girls' dinners. The ladies, myself included, just kind of swept it aside with nods and mumbles. But times have certainly changed. I had a couple come to my independent study English class last night, the husband has never stepped into a classroom in his entire life, a Mexican immigrant. His fiance had to move from her family's Foresthill home because her father had boundary issues that lead to her suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and her missing her entire 4 year high school experience. In her hands as she walked in was a baby carrier with their new 2 week old daughter. Mom hopes to some day be a detective. This morning she was on my mind so I gave a call to the Family Resource Center. Turns out, they have a program for them to provide parenting classes, tips, and home visits. Mom is nursing, getting visits from a lactation nurse and taking her advice.
Sometimes I feel like I really need a new job, and then I meet people whose lives will change because of their encounter with me. Little old me. That makes for a pretty happy holiday.
Posted by: bronwyn | November 20, 2009 at 05:21 PM