The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!

     Or is it??? When asked the proverbial question, "What does Christmas mean to you?", what are the first thoughts that come to your mind? Do you still have the courage of heart to wish strangers you see on the street each day a "Merry Christmas" without worrying about being "Politically Correct"?  

In today's modern fast-paced age of technology, the internet, television commercials filled with all the cool electronic gadgets and toys that you and your kids can ever dream of; how much plastic will it take to make those dreams come true, and fill up the space under your tree? What has happened to the past two generations? What have we become, and what will the "Spirit of Christmas" mean to our future generations?
     Yes, the holiday times are upon us all, and though the World Economy of 2012 is so sadly mirrored to that of the Last Great Depression,  

parents will entrench themselves in such a mass of unspeakable debt, just to attempt to satisfy the distorted, materialistic view on what the holidays are all about. Digital seasonal music will be blasting from every stereo and computer, homes will be flickering with bright LED lights that cover every square inch, yards will be filled with every type of blow-up animated object that can be found on the store shelves, parties will be planned, families will gather together, menus will be organized and tons of food will be prepared and served, shopping will be done, and presents will be wrapped and beautifully adorned with bows and colorful ribbons. On Christmas morning, children everywhere will tear through all those packages faster than a heat-seeking missile flying through space in search of its' prey.  

     Those of you who are old enough to take a trip down your very own personal memory lane, and dust off those old family albums filled with the photographic evidence of a lifetime of holidays, and Christmases spent, should take some time again this holiday season to re-visit your past in those albums. 

     Turn off the electronics, lock your children in the house, collect their cell phones and put them away for a couple of hours. Make your kids sit down with you as you flip through the album pages, and share your memories in great detail. I challenge you all this year, and each year going forward to actually re-create some of the old fashioned holiday practices and family traditions with the young ones. This will serve a two-fold purpose. It will teach them the importance of keeping traditions alive alongside creating new ones for the future.