Color Me Butterfly

The holidays are upon us. The silver and gold packages matching the silver and gold money we put out for them - and then some. Commercialism and capitalism entertain their largest audiences now.  Some question this entertainment and it's meaning to the spirit of the season.  Those questions are asked across all the holiday celebration channels:  Christmas.  Hanukkah.  Kwanzaa.  
 
I, for one, have done my share of maximum mall hopping.  I've fought the good fight of jousting with other shoppers for just the right gift.  Then by January, I'd grab a sword and fight the bad fight of cutting down the bills.  I've wanted and gotten the most brilliant and bodacious of decorations, at any cost.  And after a year of storage, I’d have to rebuy many things because the storage was not able to protect my investment.  But then again, I should change decoration themes every year, right?
 
A few Decembers ago, I began to notice a grinch in my greetings.  No amount of twinkling tinsel hung around my home could blind me to its grimaces.  Sure, I’d gotten my share of grateful, even gleeful, responses for items received by others.  But wasn't I supposed to feel good in the exchange too?  Just as important, wasn't this grinchy feeling robbing away the energy and joy I was trying to extend to others?
 
Giving is an empowering activity.  It's not that this wonderful idea had to change.  I had to change.  Giving is only as good as the heart that extends it. 
 
These cold winter days, I warmly give and celebrate with a conscious and a budget.  I buy items with the individual's likes or needs in mind.  I include a personal, fun and inspirational note when possible.  If I see a gift on sale a few weeks before the season, I purchase it then.  Additionally, I make room in my budget and mind to choose three gifts for myself.  That's right – ME!  I can't feed anybody else the good stuff if my cupboard is bare -- physically, emotionally or materially.  And last but not least, I deck my halls by shopping the mountains of materials found in Dollar and Department budget stores.  They offer new themes every year too! 
 
Now, I start each New Year with joy and at peace.  I get satisfaction from challenging my creative muse and counting my pennies.  More often than not, I see and hear about my gifts being used and appreciated.  I also get the priceless dividend of being called 'thoughtful' all year round. That alone, lights candles along my path all four seasons.
 
At the end of each year, the giving and the celebrating we do reminds us of the goals of our hearts for the coming year.  So, don't let that grinch glide into your glad tidings.  Regroup your giving.  Restructure your celebrating.  You might just find yourself holidaying all year round! 

Gladys Jones
Brooklyn, New York