Merry Blissemas everyone! Only 5 days to go now until the big day – are you all ready for it?
I don’t know about you but when I was little, the Christmas holidays lasted forever and every single day was magical. My mum had a wealth of family traditions that we looked forward to every year. From stuffing the dates, mixing the Christmas pudding batter and the annual day of decorations to buying a big bag of nuts and then never having a decent nutcracker on the day, but still managing to stuff ourselves with Brazil nuts all evening! My brother and I helped my mum with everything and she never seemed to go out last minute shopping without us or do any secret wrapping. The stockings and the present under the tree appeared every year as if by magic, truly delivered in the night by Santa and his merry band of reindeer!
Christmas is an extra special time of the year for me and my family. Not only is it a celebration of the birth of Jesus, but it’s also a celebration of the birth of me! Yes that’s right, I really made my mum and dad’s Christmas back in 1971, by arriving at 9.30 pm on Christmas Eve and keeping my mum in hospital until New Year! My mum reminds us every year that she had two expensive steaks ready to cook for their dinner that night; then I came along a week early and my mum ended up with hospital food while my Dad stayed at home and ate both of them! It’s been a family tradition each year to have steak for my birthday dinner. So I suppose the first Christmas I spent in this world was not the most traditional affair – it’s not often that people carve a turkey in scrubs – but each one after that was made magical by my mum and her extensive festive entertaining.
I’ve tried over the years to carry on most of my mum’s traditions…. the annual trip to see Santa, the Christmas Eve carol service at the local church and the wonder of the giant mound of presents under the tree on Christmas day, not to mention the HUGE turkey dinner with all the trimmings and a little bit more, for as many people as we can squeeze around the table (I have nine this year and a table that really only seats six!!)
But each year, it feels as though a little of the magic has disappeared. Every year I take the whole two weeks of the school holidays off and every year it gets more and more stressful to try and manage that. This year, I am woefully behind in my preparations! It’s already the 20th and I still haven’t finished present buying! Never mind wrapping them up! But you know this year feels even less magical because this year was the first time I have had to give in to the consumerism and buy my girls a revolting “Cartoon Character” chocolate Advent calendar.
Now I don’t know about you but for me Christmas has always been about celebrating the birth of Christ. From the Nativity play to the carol concert, to the beautiful advent calendar showing Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the stable, covered in glitter with a huge sparkly star. I loved getting up in the morning and running downstairs to see what was behind the numbered door. A Wiseman, a shepherd, a star, the little donkey. It makes me sad that each year it becomes harder and harder to find this item in any of the shops and this year, I just couldn’t do it. I succumbed to the de-Christmasing of Christmas and it’s not been the same. I just can’t seem to bring myself to care about what shape the dodgy looking chunk of chocolate is that’s hiding behind Snow White’s dress. And what is with this New Year count down? Advent finishes on the 24th doesn’t it?
I’m fed up that each year we seem to spend less time remembering what Christmas is about and more time seeing how much money we can spend in the shops on children who have been conditioned to expect the latest gadgets and will pout if they don’t get them. Christmas should be about family, togetherness, a celebration of the birth of Jesus. It should be a peaceful, magical holiday when time seems to stand still and everyone has time to spend with the people they love. So this year, this week, in the build-up to a big milestone birthday for me, and the run up to what should be the most magical day of the year, I am going to be making every effort to wrap my family up in a cocoon of peace and love and I’m going to see if we can have a week of remembering the good old days….. with a sprinkling of magical Christmas dust on top of it all!
Love Lexie
xx
My Dad is a Christmas Eve baby too. I hope you have a lovely Birthday. My daughter was very upset on the first day of advent when her chocolate calender had a chocolate in it but no picture! ‘That’s the best bit, it makes you excited for Christmas’ she said. So mother went hunting for a traditional advent calendar. I finally found one in WH Smiths and my daughter is now happy as she has a picture and a chocolate to open in the mornings!
Wishing you much magic and love this Christmas! x
I only saw a traditional one in a craft fair for £28! know where to go next year x
[...] The 20th day of Blissemas today! Lexie Bay is talking about the magic of Christmas and how it sometimes feels as if it’s slipping away. [...]
[...] Blissemas Elf is the delightful Lexie Bay who laments the loss of the more traditional family christmas, which has been lost in the hussle [...]
Ahh, Lexie, how lovely! It’s all about the magic in our house – though sometimes backfires when children want real magic dust that ACTUALLY does spells – and can make you fly…
Have a wonderful double celebration x x x
Your last paragraph is the very reason my mother “popped” about 15 years ago and said no more presents or big deal at Christmas time, that we had lost focus. It is so true. Things are much calmer and everyone happier that we don’t do the store thing and go crazy with everything else. We just have a really nice meal together and watch family type movies and talk.
Have a lovely birthday and Christmas, mate! See you in 2012!
x
Thanks Lucy! Have a fantastic Christmas too – looking forward to 2012!
x
Thanks for all your comments guys – nice to know that there is still some magic out there! We’ve spent the day making the house feel all cosy and now we’re going to settle down and spend some family time together! Merry Christmas to you all
Love Lexie xx
This year it felt as though the holiday season really flew by. I remember it feeling longer but I can’t wait to make the most of it with my family. Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and New Year. 2012 here we come!
Grea post! Happy (early) Birthday! And happy holidays! Hope both are wonderful! Thank you for sharing! My dads birthday is the 24th.
We dont celebrate christmas with presents anymore. My dads family was so into ‘what did you get me’ and ‘chistmas is only christmas if theres presents’. Its sad. We stopped celebrating with them because they always ruinded the holidays. There very ungrateful. We now cook a dinner, we each get a stocking filled with candy, and we play games and watch movies all day. I love it! Its so much better and funner than recieving a gift. Its nice to sit down and enjoy each other. 
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com
I’m so with you Lexie, so often today the real meaning of Christmas is lost in the secular commercialism. Families have to really work to keep the focus on Christ. Makes me think I should talk to my church about designing some Advent calenders to sell as fund-raisers next year.
drainbamaged.gyzmo at gmail.com
I couldn’t agree more!. I HATE the use of the word Xmas and completely refuse to have it in my house. It is interesting to live in a country where it is usually 35 plus degrees on Christmas day but still have cards, decorations and food traditions that relate to snow and freezing cold.
This year for the first time we are spending a week at the beach and doing as little as possible because that is the traditional Australian way to celebrate Christmas.
Hi Lexi,
i completely agree with you about the lost magic. kids seem to lose it earlier each year too, and so do their parents.
here at my house we have certain traditons that we do every year. this year the 13 year old niece asked me why she had to do something so dumb as help with the decorating and the tree. my response was because,1)this is Christmas and Christmas is a celebration of Jesus and family. 2)it is tradition and you may not care now but when you get older and look back you are going to be grateful that someone cared enough to make sure you had traditions and things like this. their are alot of people that don’t and they wander lost with no idea of how to make the holiday be what they picture in their hearts and heads.
her response was “whatever, i still don’t want to”. i then told her , i don’t care if you want to you are going to be a part of this family all your life and that includes being a part of our Christmas and traditions so knock off the snotty adittude and hang the frickin stockings already.
by the end of the night she was laughing and having a ball along with the rest of the family. at bed time she called me in and said “Aunt Tam i’m sorry i was so rude, i had fun and i love you guys, ” as far as i am concerned that is what it’s all about. FAMILY!
thank you for all of the fun and great posts over the last days and i hope that all of you and your families have a very Happy Holiday Season filled with joy and laughter.
trvlagnt1t@yahoo.com
Christmas magic is a bit tarnished lately but I still try to keep the spirit going as much as possible…
Michelle B. aka koshkalady
purrpurrkoshkamb(at)aol(dot)com
I totally agree with you about it being less of a spiritual and special holiday. Kids, and some adults, expect way too much in the gift giving department which makes you feel bad when you can’t comply. For my family, who doesn’t have the funds, we just make it special by getting away from everyone and bake cookies, drink cinnamon hot cocoa, and play the board games we played as kids. My folks tell us stories about when we were kids and it just makes for a sweetly special occasion.
joderjo402 AT gmail DOT com
We will be having a fantastic family meal, with several generations getting together all for the meal. Most of us only exchange cards or a small gift, with the emphasis being on seeing everyone.
Without any little ones around at the moment, Christmas is all about family!
Kids think of Christmas as fun time, for adults it becomes work. I just do alittle bit each day. And each year I feel OK about doing less and less . It’s alright to let the next generation do all the running around. It’s my turn to slow down and watch everyone else go crazy. Merry Christmas! (:
Despite the commercialism, Christmas remains a time of giving. sharing and togetherness. Being a non-Christian who grew up in a country that doesn’t traditionally celebrate Christmas, even I have been swept up in the festive spirit, thanks to the hubster’s childlike anticipation and excitement.
Hope you rediscover the magic of Christmas. Have a great milestone birthday, a Merry Christmas, and best wishes for the New Year!
I agree with you that Christmas is not what is used to be. I almost can’t stand to go shopping at Christmas time because of the crowds and craziness. I think this next year I am going to try shopping all year and making gifts for family and friends.
I agree Lexie! People do forget the true meaning of Christmas and instead focus on how much you spent on presents. It is crazy! I seen all the commercials this year of women racing around on black Friday. The fact the stores quit saying Merry Christmas and say Happy Holidays so not to offend someone that doesn’t celebrate Christmas is crazy. Anyway I think that is so wonderful that you were born on Christmas Eve! Wow you were your moms Christmas present! And I love that you eat steak every year to celebrate! You have a wonderful story to share! christina_92 at yahoo.com
I couldnt agree more. To many take advantage of christmas. More people are about the gifts and what can you get them, than they are about the true meaning. Being with family, just enjoying each other. Thanks for shairng.
tonyapeterson35(at)yahoo(dot)com
[...] Blissemas Elf is the delightful Lexie Bay who laments the loss of the more traditional family christmas, which has been lost in the hussle [...]