I'm always complaining of not creating "Chrissmassy" stuff for and during the holidays. Last year I actually made a decorated wooden tree with lights and pressies, and I think I did a good job, it's pretty cute. Only now with my added angst over how (let alone what) to celebrate the season, I'm thinking I might start making some Chrissmas decorations. I'd either incorporate the word "Chrissmas" or even go back to some pagan Winter Solstice symbols of things like a yule log, mistletoe, candles, pine cones...either way a much more simplistic and sincere way of honouring the turning of the seasons, as opposed to the gift-grabbing of this age.At times like these I'm thankful I was not "blessed" with children, as I see how some of the kids (note, not all, only some) of friends of ours are so spoiled they whine when they don't get the exact colour of iPod they wanted or brand of shoe. It's disgusting in my opinion, and yes, a large part of that rests on the parents. However, I think people these days have so much more pressure on them in this competitive world they regard their home life (family, children) as their only sanctuary from the rat-race and may have difficulty with just saying no or simply bow down and buy the crap just to keep some semblance of peace in the home. I know I'd try to be the peace-keeper if I did have kids.
Yes, trinkets with simplistic symbols, maybe not just decorations for the tree, but for the tabletop, maybe even a centrepiece. Time to get back to basics. Although I never had a "basic" Chrissmas, my parents always went over the top. I was a spoiled child myself (not by whining, I was just the youngest of three and being the baby got most anything and everything I wanted when I was little). Always a big to-do with the tree decorating and "unveiling" on Christmas Eve, tons of food, presents. It wasn't all that bad. In fact I think my dad tried his best to get away from the religious connotations himself because he and my mother had grown up Catholic, converted to Lutheranism int heir adult years, then gave up on religion altogether when the usual Christian paradoxes got too much for them. This is perhaps why I have such a hard time finding my Chrissmas spirit, it floundered when my parents passed away and I was never able to recreate that sense of wonder on my own.
Time for a change. This weekend I will work on designs, mediums, and maybe even craft a couple of things.