My daughter came for the weekend to hunker down in my studio to make many wonderful gifts. There were bags and puzzles and useful holders for this and that. There were stuffed animals, all amazing and lovely.
"Who are these things for", I asked her. They are for distant family members she barely knows, but she feels obligated.
Where did this come from? This obligation everyone seems to have this time of year?
When I was a kid soon after the end of WWII, no one had any money. My folks strived to make Christmas special for their five kids. My dad, who was never a carpenter at all, sawed maple 2x4's into a huge set of blocks. He spent his evenings from Halloween until Christmas in a neighbor's basement, sanding these and waxing them. A month before Christmas my mom sneaked away all the dolls my sister and I had and made new clothes for them, and dresses to match for us, to reappear on Christmas morning. One Christmas I found an entire Girl Scout outfit my mother had made right there above my stocking. Another Christmas there was a bicycle for me - a lovingly restored used bike. To tell the truth, I was always just a bit disappointed because I really wanted the new and store-bought.Now that I am old and have no need of anymore stuff, I find it harder and harder to understand what this impetus is to GET MORE STUFF!
I think that many folks rely on the holiday gift exchanges to get things they need and luxuries they crave. We spent last Christmas with some in-laws of our family and we were amazed at the sheer volume of the gifts and the obvious expense and thought that had gone into this extravaganza. Giving these things (and receiving them!) is a part of doing the expected thing in so many families.
So, back to the hand made items, the repurposed things, the regifted and the giving of old family treasures. Everything has a place in this crazy holiday frenzy. I just wish there was not so much stress about it.
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