Saturday, November 28, 2009

Some more Blaspheming: you know you like it.



These images are from flickr but my son makes a gingerbread house every year that looks similar to this. Then, when it has sat out for a month and is covered in dust, he and my husband eat it.




I don't really like Christmas all that much. I know, I know, it horrifies most people when I say that. It might be the decorating that I dislike most. I used to like it and as a child I loved to decorate the tree, I'm not really sure what changed. Christmas decorations just get in the way and seem messy to me. I like the stuff I have around me, it's there because I like it it, so I don't want to put it away just so I can have Christmas themed things on my mantle and shelves instead. If I don't put things away it is just too cluttered and confusing. I dislike fake greenery but the real stuff gets dried out, the berries turn black and fall off and it all just looks sad after a week. Putting up a tree requires rearranging the furniture in a less desirable configuration than usual and again, after a week or two, when ornaments fall off and are put back on repeatedly, the tree gets a tired and messy look. Lights outside, well those are okay. I kind of like those.

Christmas presents are tricky. I don't think we need to buy gifts for everyone to show our love. I'm not completely against consumerism, it has a place in developing an economy that helps communities to thrive, but Christmas encourages extensive consumption, both in the gifts and the wrappings and packaging. Homemade gifts can be nice, but the key word there is can be. Yes it is the thought that counts but I neither need nor want a pencil holder made from coloured popsicle sticks glued to an empty tomato tin. Crafters sometimes confuse what they like making with what people want or need to receive. Am I shocking you? My point is that even homemade gifts can contribute to waste or unnecessary consumption. Don't purchase those popsicle sticks on my behalf. If I need it, I can afford it. If I want it, I can save up for it. I have started asking family members to donate to charities as a Christmas gift to me.

The family gathered around a festive meal is pleasant, I do admit that. In my situation we are a small family and most of us live in the same town. We have family gatherings all the time, regularly celebrating each others' birthdays with dinners together. My brother's family and my brother-in-law are the only family members who don't live near us. They are on the other side of this vast country and traveling across it is so expensive they cannot afford to join us every year. Christmas, although primarily for me it is a celebration of family, is a gathering of our usual small group, not a time for being with loved ones we hardly ever see. I love them all, but don't need Christmas as an occasion to see them or demonstrate my love.

If you know anything about me, you know by now that I am not participating in a Christian Christmas. There is no celebrating the birth of Jesus, or talk about the true meaning of Christmas in my family. I tell myself, and anyone who asks, that for me Christmas is the celebration of friends and family, of love and support and togetherness. That isn't a lie, but the reason that I am not emotionally attached to Christmas is that I don't need Christmas to celebrate that. I celebrate it every day. So I don't need a gift, the evergreens can stay outdoors where they belong and I really don't want to move my furniture around, please don't make me. I like the New Year much better as something to celebrate, although I haven't been to a New Year's party in, well, years. I don't even stay up to midnight anymore. You're quit fed up with me, I know. But in a world where the Christmas merchandise is in stores right after Remembrance day, if not sooner, the whole theme drags on far too long for me. I'm just sayin....

Here's what I'll be using to decorate with this season.

dried citrus slices, cinnamon sticks, ribbons and evergreen branches in vases with red twigs
I'm on the look out for high quality/realistic faux berry sprays-I'm very picky about these
dark red poinsettias, nuts in the shells, pomegranates and creamy soy candles


I like to decorate around December tenth and everything goes on New Year's day. My husband, who loves Christmas, has accepted this compromise.

6 comments:

C A said...

HI DARLING, THANKS FOR THE COMMENT, GREAT POST, HAVE A NICE WEEKEND! COME CHECK OUT THE HELMUT LANG EXHIBITION ;)

@ MAISONCHAPLIN.BLOGSPOT.COM

Maria Killam said...

I love gingerbread houses! You can get so creative with them!

Lee said...

I actually loved this post, There has been times my children threatened me with a gun (toy) to put up a tree. We give to Christian charities and don't exchange gifts...with the exception of my grand daughter.

I am sick of traditional Christmas dinner, and not much on cooking, I was thinking of having it catered this year and charge everyone $25 dollars a head, that would thin out the crowd.
I am not sure how it became my job to do this, but it is expected of me, baugh humbug.

After my son's accident, I did better with the decorating part... I knew he loved it, so I did that out of love for him every year, this year I put it out, then put half of back, and I am may take a picture of the tree and then take it down...it makes me claustrophobic. Everyone bought my ornaments because they knew I wouldn't and I don't like them because they are white, but we don't have snow... per say, it is expected today but it won't stick. We just have ice storms, I am with you on orange and your post on that... I am going to dry oranges soon, I haven't ever done that so I will give it a whirl. I got cuttings free yesterday so I could pull down the other stuff, I probably will blog about it... dull I know. I have done one post and then took down everything as soon as I was done... really what is the point. I am thinking of throwing it out for good. Giving all the ornaments back.
I don't mind some greenery on the mantle and some twinkle lights, I don't know what a soy candle is, so I will google it. I think it has gone to ridiculous levels and even kids are so spoiled that has sizzled out on the fun list too. I never liked lieing to them about Santa, because of my faith... I thought it was a ridiculous story and a huge dissappointment. They may not trust me about my faith if I told them lies about the other holidays... so early on we did make believe Santa, and bunny etc.

Well, it seems I have done a post on your post,
we don't have a pottery barn close by so but they do have great stuff. Have fun at your parties and I will talk to ya later, Miss Shawna. Your Barbie post made me laugh out loud several times... you have a way with words.
Lee

Lee said...

I should have proofed this before I published it. Considering I was on my first cup of coffee I did okay, your smart I think you can look past the blunders, or grade it, you are a teacher right?

The Blasphemous Fiendess said...

I am a very poor typist so I make tons of errors and don't catch them all. I read somewhere that errors are the sign of a real blogger not some commercial faux blog. I understand completely what you did for your son and I would do the same for mine or my husband. I will post pictures of our Christmas Look this year. My son was furious that Santa and the Easter bunny were a lie. I don't blame him. Thank you so much for your compliments on my writing. We don't have snow yet-just wait till I write about how much I dislike snow. Oh I"m such a curmudgeon.

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