“What if Christmas, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”
― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Early last month, I was at a shopping mall. The streets were decorated for the season and Christmas music was blaring from loudspeakers. You could see people grimacing and rolling their eyes as “All I Want for Christmas is You,” assaulted us.
I wondered if Ebenezer Scrooge would have changed his ways much sooner if the Ghost of Christmas Mall Music visited him first. Why do people react so negatively when they hear Christmas tunes at the mall?
- We know the mall is in “The Christmas Spirit” not because of peace on Earth and goodwill toward men. It’s all about the money.
- While holiday music is king, Christmas carols are gone at the mall. There’s no “Little Town of Bethlehem,” or “O Holy Night.” Now it’s all about Santa Claus and holiday flirting.
- Original Christmas music is a no-no at the mall. They want the familiar, not the creative. You can have twenty versions of a song for nostalgia’s sake, but heaven forbid we’d get a truly new song. How many versions of “Santa Baby,” do we need, anyway?
I suppose it is asking too much to have the malls think beyond what they think is the right mood music for creating jolly spenders. You can’t expect much more than commercialization at a commercial place. Still, if they’re going to be so bad at setting the Christmas mood, don’t begin the sanitized, commercialized tripe in early November!
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Cartoon of a son and his mother at breakfast. The son says, “I want something different for breakfast. What about seven-layer bean dip?”
Amy McCready has some great advice on Positive Parenting Solutions about child nagging and negotiating. Her solution is to say three simple words: “Ask and Answered.”
It can be hard to stand firm when you are pummeled with the “Why can’t I’s?” and the “but ple-e-e-e-e-ases?” But it’s so important to stand firm, especially when a child asks for something unreasonable.
Another solution that has worked for me is think first before you say “no.” Consider your answer before you give it. Sometimes, we say no because it is inconvenient for us as a parent. If the request is reasonable, and can even become a shared experience with your child, consider the request before you give them a nay.
But once you made your answer known, don’t be wishy-washy. That is only leads to misery when they are persistent at the next request.
Be strong and courageous (and consider your no’s before you make them!).
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Ready for Black Friday?
Cartoon of a boy with a football helmet. He says to his mom, “I’m ready to hit the Black Friday sales with you.
I was watching some football and was assaulted by all the Black Friday ads. I’m not sure which game is rougher: the tackling or the shopping. Be safe out there, warriors!
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How to Have a Happy Thanksgiving
Cartoon of a husband and a wife with a musket. The wife says, “We’re having a traditional Thanksgiving. Here’s a musket. The turkey is in the backyard.”
It’s the holiday season in the United States and all the expectations for a perfect holiday begin tomorrow when we all gather for a feast. Unfortunately, some of those hopes will be dashed before someone says, “Pass the cranberries.”
My mom was a nurse, which meant she had to work many holidays. One of the benefits of that was while we had holiday traditions, they were flexible. We didn’t have to do the same thing every year. We could move things around our calendar, or even save an event until the next year.
That came in handy for me as a became an adult. One Thanksgiving, my poor wife had the flu. We dutifully shipped our son to the grandparents while I tended to my ill spouse. It was one unconventional Thanksgiving. She didn’t want to eat anything and I searched for a restaurant that was open.
As you begin this festive time of year, I would encourage you to be flexible. Go with the flow. Kids and spouses get sick. Relatives will probably never act the way you’d expect. Travel will always have some headaches. When it’s all over, it may be the unconventional memories you will cherish anyway.