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Christmas has always been special to me. It is the one time of year I feel the world is exactly as it should be. All the holiday cheer and the good tidings in the air make me an unapologetic believer in the magic of Christmas. However, somewhere along the line, I forgot about the true spirit of Christmas and bought into the materialistic perversion that Christmas has become.
I long for Christmas past on the island of Jamaica with my great grandmother. Even though we had no presents, no Santa, no tree or trimmings, we always celebrated Christmas with abandon. I remember waking up on Christmas morning to the hustle and bustle of my mom and great grandma cooking. I dare not enter the kitchen to peek at what they were making. My great grandma was notorious for popping you on the hand with a wooden spoon if you checked her pots before she was done cooking.
All the doors in the house would be open to let a breeze pass through, but the warmth from the stove still clung to the air. My great grandma would hum a hymn and every now and then would just let out a hearty laugh straight from her belly.
Dinner was always the main event for me. All my aunts, uncles, grandma, and great grandma would gather outside picnic style and eat until we were well beyond discomfort. I loved listening to my aunts and uncles reminisce about being kids and all the funny antics they got into. My grandma would share stories of family members long gone. I loved these storytelling moments because since we had no family photos, these stories were how we kept their memories alive.
Then the real fun began. We would play games, sing songs, dance, and most importantly…laugh. We would carry on like this well into the night before everyone contently wandered off to bed. No gifts were exchanged, but we still felt blessed.
This is a far cry from the chaos the holidays represent for me today. I spend the days leading up to Christmas agonizing about making the tree look just so, planning the perfect Christmas dinner menu, and finding that obscure toy my son must have since he saw it on a commercial on Disney Junior. Add to the mix all the gingerbread and Christmas ornament crafts on Pinterest that I must do with the kids because it is one of twenty four activities on our advent calendar.
Then of course there are the family photos that we have to take so we can make personalized Christmas cards. That alone is an ordeal in itself. My daughter never wants the dress I pick for her and prefers her pink, sparkly princess dress with the hole in the armpit. We can’t ever get everyone to look at the camera at the same time and for some reason my kids choose this particular time to give the creepiest smiles. After all that, I am left to agonize over whether the cards should say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays.
The now retired pink princess gown.
I get myself all worked up trying to give my family the ideal Christmas when the truth of the matter is the trimmings and the gifts aren’t what the holidays are about. At least not for me. Yes I want to see my children’s face light up on Christmas morning. But not because they got a new gadget or toy. I want them to light up because they are with family and are able to appreciate the bit of peace on Earth we have been able to provide them with. I want them to squeal with joy not because Santa stuffed their stockings with goodies but because they understand how truly blessed they are that they can’t help but shout with glee.
This year my goal is to add meaning back into how we celebrate Christmas. The first thing I’m going to do is ditch the presents…KIDDING!! Could you imagine? No, this Christmas instead of focusing on Santa and the gifts he brings, I’m going to focus on sharing more stories of my great grandmother and all the gifts she passed on to her family. Some of you are probably wondering, what about Jesus? Well, if you knew my great grandmother you would know that any story about her inherently comes with a lesson on faith AND Jesus. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas.
How do you add meaning to your holiday celebrations?
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Just Plain Marie says
It’s definitely possible to ditch the presents. 🙂 We don’t do Santa Claus, Christmas tree, or any of the craziness, and I mostly avoid the stores during November and December. For us, Christmas is simply about Christ.
Yanique Chambers says
Now that’s how I wish I could do Christmas!
Robin Rue (@massholemommy) says
Christmas has gotten way out of control for most of us. I would love to get back to the simpler things.
Yanique Chambers says
It really has gotten crazy. As if there isn’t enough to stress about as a parent!
Ana De- Jesus says
To me Christmas is in giving and finding joy in the company of others. It is a truly joyous occasion
Yanique Chambers says
I completely agree Ana!
Kori says
It’s so easy to get wrapped up (no pun intended) in the commercialism of Christmas. I’m hoping to teach my youngest more about the simplicity, charity, generosity, and that materialism isn’t everything.
Yanique Chambers says
Teaching my 7 year old about charity and generosity is a slow process. Its so important for kids to understand that although having nice things is great, it’s not the things that make the people
Debra says
This is such a wonderful post. It sounds like you had some truly amazing Christmas when you were younger!
Yanique Chambers says
Some of the best!
Stacey says
Ahh.. I loved this post! I hope your Christmas is all the magic that you hope it to be.
Yanique Chambers says
Thank you!
Jen says
Sounds like you are centered on adding meaning back to the Christmas holiday. Hope you guys have a great one!
Yanique Chambers says
Absolutely! Thank you and you do the same
MyTeenGuide says
The gifts are not important. What matters is you are with your loved ones. We only buy gifts for the little ones.
Yanique Chambers says
That’s what I’m doing this year. The adults can buy what they want instead of suffering through an awkward gift exchange.
Michelle @ Sunshine and Hurricanes.com says
Such lovely suggestions and a great reminder to keep the focus on people and love this season!
Yanique Chambers says
Spreading joy and holiday cheer with the people you love is what Christmas is all about for me
ashleigh says
There are so many free things to do for Christmas around my town that I try to get my kids to them. It’s fun being around a group of friends getting to do things like sledding or listening to carols.
Yanique Chambers says
We love going sledding and honestly those experiences are so much better than the toys that my kids don’t play with past Christmas break!
tiarasandtantrums says
I wanted to forego presents this year as well – completely, but my husband overruled me. I think we are blessed enough and the kids don’t need any more “things”, but they will be getting some stuff
Yanique Chambers says
Mine are getting gifts too. I would much rather save that money for a college fund, but no one else is on board with me 🙂
Beth@FrugalFroggie says
We adopted a family for the holidays and I was explaining to my son that not all families are financially able to provide for the kids in hopes that he would recognize how blessed he is. Planting the seed!!
Yanique Chambers says
Absolutely!Its so important for us to teach our kids to give to others. Most kids are giving to begin with and just need an opportunity-like say adopting a family 🙂 to put that giving spirit into action
Allie says
I just love this post so much. So often we get so caught up that we totally miss the whole point of Christmas. There’s nothing wrong with all the festive stuff, so long as we keep some focus, which is often the hard part.
And your little girl is just so precious in that princess dress!
Yanique Chambers says
Awww thank you Allie! It really is about creating balance. Enjoy your holidays!
Heather says
This is a great reminder! What I love most about this season is definitely the giving. It brings me so much joy to see the joy that others have in receiving my love and time.
Yanique Chambers says
I prefer the giving too. I actually get uncomfortable when people get me gifts. Weird huh?
Roxanne says
Both my father and my father in law passed away over ten years before my kids were born. They don’t have any grandfathers. So, my husband and I like to pull out all our favorite decorations we had as kids and talk about our dads. It keeps their memories alive and close to our hearts.
laura londergan says
we do all of the typical Christmas stuff but we keep it in perspective as well and don’t forget what the day is all about! We have a birthday cake every year for Jesus & sing to him – it’s always a good time 😉
Yona Williams says
I add meaning my creating family memories. The other day, my Mom, nephew and I just spent the whole car ride home singing holiday songs. It really put us in the spirit and created a long-lasting memory for all of us.
Susannah says
Awww… Your great grandma sounds like an amazing woman! I love that you’re going to be sharing about her to your kids this year! <3
Michele says
I enjoyed your memory of Christmas in Jamaica. That is how it ought to be. I am most looking forward to my children being home, and spending a long weekend celebrating with family. If I had to ditch the rest, that is what I would keep.
LydiaF says
My parents didn’t decorate until Christmas Eve. We’d go to bed and in the morning the tree would be up along with some decorations. I can’t imagine what they had to go through to get it all done, especially my mother who I’m sure did the bulk of it. Everything came down on Jan 2.
Ann says
So true — it’s the simple things that matter.
The Bonfire Dream says
Yep, unfortunately we sometimes forget about those….
Jenny says
We like to spend lots of time with family over the holidays.
Orana says
HI Yanique!
We don’t do Christmas presents at all, actually we don’t really do any of the usual Christmas things. I guess its easier when you are an expat in a non Christmassy place.
I agree with you that its all very comercialized and everyone should try and find the true essence.
Antonio says
I totally agree with you. I am looking to change our tradition and involve more travel and creating memories and lessening the material gifts. I want my kids to cherish the memories. They will last a lot longer than anything that man can make.
Leslie says
I do wish there was a way to jump off the present train. Although it’s fun, it’s also an ordeal when we are at my family’s house and we go around the room opening gifts one by one. It takes hours! When I look back on Christmases when I was a child, it’s not the presents I remember so fondly as it is the get-togethers we used to have. What I want more than anything on Christmas is like what you want–to go to my Granny’s house, which of course is impossible.
Emily says
I love that you adore those childhood memories of Christmas morning, gifts were not even needed for you to feel the magic of the day. I have tried to have Christmas be about more than just that morning. It is about decorating the house, baking cookies, seeing Christmas lights, thinking of gifts for others. I hope that my kids will focus on the celebration of the season, giving and getting together with family. Christmas morning goes so fast. It is the before and after I try to focus on with my kids.
Agatha says
We cut down on presents, the tree and the stores to focus on family. It was difficult at first but our kids were understanding especially when they get older.
Amy @PlanningPlaytime says
Great post. One of my favorite memories from Christmas as a child is my mother reading us old family stories. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas.