Bah humbug I don’t do Christmas

Actually I don’t do any holiday, not that I’m a Scourge.  I’m not the Grinch who stole Christmas either. 

The holidays of my youth, seen through the joy, filled eyes of someone with a little less experience of how things work in this world. That joy has long since faded.  Life in those early years was full of wonder and excitement.  A sense of something very special.  Oh aye!  It was a day off from school, playing in the snow, and a couple of gifts, a big dinner with the family and a trip to church to hear about the amazing child born over 2000 years ago.  The whole experience had a very special feel to it.  The warmth of friends and family gathered together in celebration.  But it was more than that. It had a sense of belonging to something bigger.

I have grown older, wiser (but maybe a bit cynical) the friends and family have grown up and moved away.  Life has taken on different meanings and responsibilities.  Santa Claus doesn’t come down the chimney, but the credit card bill does come in the mail.  Holidays of all kinds are expensive.  I believe that we’ve lost the ability to just enjoy life without the extra expenses of supporting the holiday scenario.

Let’s just take a look at what Christmas would cost a family of four.  Mom and Dad and two children.  So Mom and Dad both work, both get the day before and Christmas Day off.  They both get paid holiday pay.  These are your average everyday hard working people so we’re going to assume they get holiday pay for the two days somewhere around $525.

Holiday dinner for four people with all the fixings and trimmings runs about $125.  A video game for junior about $60.00.  So being fair, they also have to spend the same amount of money on the other child $60.00. Mom buys something for Dad. Dad buys something for Mom about $125 each (250.00).  Of course we can’t forget Grandma and Grandpa.  Four more gifts at $60.00 each ($240.00).  This is just the immediate family; don’t forget brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins ($300.00).  You also had Christmas cards, stamps and those gifts that you bought for the office ($125.00).  But you’re not done yet?  Neighbors, friends and the post person.  The list goes on, but I don’t think there’s a reason to go on, you get the picture.  Holidays are expensive.  Dinner gifts and miscellaneous items $1010 minus you’re holiday pay $525 leaves $585 not covered under the holiday pay.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we should give up our holidays.  I just can’t remember where it went from a celebration of something very special, to a commercial endeavor.

Black Friday is meant to put commerce in black ink for that period.  It’s meant to put retailers over the top for the year.  When in fact Black Friday will put most consumers into the red ink for much longer.

I don’t know what’s wrong with this picture?

                                     I’m sorry I just don’t do holidays///enjoy your holiday

                                                                Best wishes for the New Year

You’re born, you live, and you die.

This is a simple statement of fact. We humans spend about 27,000 days on average in this life

We have no control over our birth.  We also cannot stop death. Some or all of the things we can do in the middle may, or will affect the middle and the last part of our lives.  But how we live our lives during those 27,000 days is pretty much up to us.

Now, I guess I’ve always believed that we have free will to live our lives as we wish.  I also believe that there may be some kind of predetermined destiny, a path, a direction, on which our life takes off that will guide us to our final days.  Now, I’m not talking about a straight line from beginning to end, from birth to death.  Not any kind of Life Energy, or a guiding hand that will take us to the first crossroads, or to any crossroads in life.  I’m only talking about the decisions we make, that will continue to lead us too many more crossroads in life.

In our first five years (1825 days) most decisions are made by our Elders, parents and those around us who are wiser and have more experience. All we know is that we’re hungry, cranky or happy.  Not much beyond that. (Oh yes, when we are messy too).  After those early years, life becomes an adventure.

Good decisions can extend our lives, make us happy, educate us and make life enjoyable: to live.

Not so good decisions will take us down different roads.

Example; A five year old riding a tricycle down the sidewalk, you have two simple decisions that could    affect the rest of your life.

1.       You go down the driveway and onto the road into oncoming traffic.  This could affect your ability to make it to the next crossroad of life or your next decision.

2.       Or you can sample, listen, to what you’ve been told about staying out of the street.  Living to enjoy yet another day.  Enjoying the benefits of making good decisions also gaining life experiences.

3.       A 13 year old, (4745 days old) who is now entering the age where they know it all!   After years of good advice, they decide to start smoking, drinking or doing drugs! All things that can certainly alter your course to the next crossroads. 

All crossroads, like all decisions, lead somewhere.  It takes time and experience to learn how to make good decisions, also like learning to read a road map, learning to read life’s crossroads takes time and experience.

So enjoy life, learn how to make good decisions, except the knowledge that you obtain from the bad decisions.

Try to always remember; decisions are like money, the more you make, the more you’ll enjoy life.

I can't believe the response

Reading this weekend, I found this little article and showed it ot my wife.

It reads= shortly before our 25th wedding anniversary, my husband send me 25 long standed yellow roses at my office. A few days later I dried the petals, and in anticipation of the romantic evening, spread  then on our bed. As I hoped, I got a reaction from my husband.  When he saw me he shouted " are those potato chips? "

Now my wife said " that's just like a man" I just don't understand?  I like potato chips, just not in my bed.

You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.

As true as that statement is, sometimes you’re able to make a good second impression.  My point being I seen an interview with Don King, on the bill O’Reilly show the other night.  Don King.  A man who I’ve always thought a little bit odd, flamboyant and outspoken.  Topic of conversation was about to Wall Street protesters.  Mr. King said that he was going down the Wall Street to speak with protesters.  O’Reilly made a statement that had the phrase African American in it.  Nothing negative, nothing inappropriate.  But I loved Don King’s response, and that was simply am not African American I’m just an American.  This is something that I’ve written about before.  This is something that I feel strongly about.  I’d love to see more people who have a public platform take a similar position.  We need to rebuild our pride in being Americans first, and then taking pride in our family’s background.  Good showing Mr. King!!!

Someone else in the news, who has been making a good second impression.  Has been President Clinton.  He seems to be on point out what’s going on in our economy.

Another person in the news was made a good second impression.  Is Newt Gingrich.  And started to like some always got to say in the sounds a bit more reasonable these days.  It’ll be interesting to see if he starts to rise in the polls.

Then, there’s Herman Cain.  When my book made a good first impression and continues to make an even stronger second impression.  But these are my opinions for this week.