Today was the first time that I have ever actually gone shopping on "the biggest shopping day of the year" - the day after Thanksgiving. It will also be the last. What a zoo! I have never seen so many people crawling over each other in department stores. I have also never had so many near misses in my car (parking lots were horrible, horrible, horrible). My mother and I got up around 6:30 to try to avoid the crowds (as you can see it was rather a vain attempt) and we, uh, hit it off within moments of entering T.J. Maxx. She was way into wallets. And ornaments. Newsflash: no one needs new wallets. And we definitely do not need any more ornaments. Ugh. Our tree is actually going to tip over this year :)
Mother also had us go to four different Target stores spread over the face of Northeastern Ohio. The only store I actually went into was the afore-mentioned T.J. Maxx; after that fiasco I had lost whatever shopping bug I had caught earlier that morning. It was a pretty weak bug to begin with, I have to say! Having no money can do that to you ... But I did get a couple nice things. For People. You want to know what I got you? Hmmmmm. You'll just have to wait.
I have a low feeling that Christmas is going to be non-cheery in the gifts department again this year - Mother actually got us things this time, I think, but she was talking about them and it was all ... Sweaters .. And jewelry ... And socks and stuff. And high-class cute pins. Ack. If the sweaters are cute then that's ok; but I don't wear a lot of jewelry, nor do I have occasion to. Oh well. I don't want to hurt her feelings (I'm sure she's high on her purchases just as she is with all shopping, he he he) so I'll act blissful. And it's the thought that counts. And fine jewelry will be pretty nice. There are starving children in Kenya who would faint if they got jewelry, Maggie.
Anyway, we are supposed to be celebrating the Nativity of Our Lord, and giving presents is lovely but only secondary. And it's just a way for heathens, pagans, and non-believers to cut in on our fattening Christmas pie! Gasp! Those jerks! ;) Trying to get chubby like us ;) Hmmm, maybe I should be a Christian separatist or something. Except that I think it is probably incompatible with the Catholic tradition.
I am going to go try to recover now (read: Nap time). Perhaps I was nasty with my mother because of the early hour. Alas, I still have to go to Confession tomorrow about it :( Sleep will cure my nerves. Mmmm, sleep and chocolate.
Friday, November 26, 2004
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Oooo a Christmas conundrum! What a dorky phrase. Anyway ... ;) The Christmas tree is not actually a symbol of the modern obsession with materialism! Or at least it wasn't supposed to be :)
ReplyDeleteThere are different stories about it, but some people say that the tiangular shape of the tree was used to teach the pagans the Trinitarian doctrine - "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." The Christmas tree as we know it was created by Martin Luther (ugh, founder of Protestantism! He he he) in order to show his children the beauty of stars shining through the limbs of trees he had seen on a recent walk (he put candles on the branches).
The other version is that St. Boniface was traveling in Germany and saw some pagans gathered around an oak tree, about to sacrifice a child to the god, Thor. Boniface knocked the tree down, and in its stead a fir tree grew up; Boniface told the pagans that the fir stood for the Tree of Life and the eternal life of Christ.
A nativity scene is always good, but I wouldn't put it on the tree, just because it would be tons better to put it on the kitchen table or on the mantle where everyone can see it and it has its own special place. Of course, a nativity scene as an ornament is better than no nativity scene at all :)
Do you guys do the thing where you wait to put the baby Jesus in the manger on Christmas Eve? We used to do that when we (I mean the kids) were younger. We used to beat each other up over whose turn it was this year to put him in. Ironic, huh? "It's MY turn to put the Prince of Peace in the manger!" ::: Smack :::