Christmas this year rocked. New Years will rock even harder.
Partly because there were (and are) no obligatory ‘family’ functions to attend, but partly due to a change in philosophy about what makes a good Christmas.
When one strips away all the pomp and ceremony, avoids the typical Christian rhetoric that is pounded out this time of year and simply decides to spend some quality time with a loved one, perhaps with the exchange of some gifts the whole tone of the festive season is changed.
Now, I’m not suggesting that one should simply drop century’s of tradition, or take a sudden interest in Scrooge’s philosophy, rather that this time of year, has very much become a consumerist driven shop-a-thon with stress, aggravation, frustration and it’s many friends in tow.
You know that feeling I speak of - the dread of attempting to navigate aisles full with people who have no clue what they want, but will happily stop everyone else from gaining access to consumer goods just in case that’s what they do want.
Then there’s the traffic, the endless queues, the confusion over what not-to-get, pressure to buy *stuff* because it’s the only way to get to the fraken checkout due to dodgy product placement and so fourth.
This year I gave my partner a few small gifts - as a small physical symbol of my affection. The biggest gift, however, has been time. Time to help with the food preparation, time to help clean the house and all the other chores most men-folk will run away from at the earliest convenience.
Sure, my partner knows me well and I had a few geeky gifts to be well pleased with, but by far the greatest gift, in return, was the feeling of closeness and renewed strength in the relationship.
At this time of year, it’s easy to be caught up in the festivities and forget to remind the people you love how important they are to you.. and nothing really says that more than actually stopping to make time for them, to make them feel special and loved.
If there is someone special in your life - remember to remind them of that, give the gift of time..
≡ This is a journal entry relating to the topics of journal, reflections.
Brendan Borlase is a Systems and Network Administrator living in Adelaide, Australia, having lived, worked and breathed Information Technology for over 12 years. Learn more.
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Jan 9th, 2007 at 4:00 am
Perhaps your partner is so good at figuring out what to get you because you’re a master at dropping hints. ;)
I’m glad that you enjoyed your Christmas. Perhaps next year you can cook the dinner and I’ll just make the gravy.
On second thoughts, let’s stick with me doing the cooking, shall we? :)
Jan 9th, 2007 at 4:05 am
Yer, I can’t cook - so good idea. :)