Every Christmas, people seem to go a little silly. During this hectic time of year, we are in such a rush to buy gifts for everyone that we tend to lose sight of why this time of year is special. Christmas is not about gifting cheap and nasty knick-knacks to your work colleagues, its about spending time with family and loved ones.
In the spirit of love we give to others, this perceived need to give is amplified during the festive season. It is easy to feel worthless, cheap and alone, especially when some of us try to derive worth from mindless giving.
This year I am going to try something different. I will still be giving gifts, but they will be small gestures rather than physical objects. For my family and me, I will be gifting all of us one gift that we can share and use for years to come.
This year I will be going big and getting one big gift for the whole family.
Family time.
Modern life is fast-paced and very impersonal, we are surrounded by other people, in each other’s faces all day, yet we struggle to keep civil and friendly. Dinner time was traditionally a time for the family to come together and share a meal while sharing each other’s daily experiences. It allowed us to vent steam and remember what’s important.
This year I will be investing, if you will, in a piece of furniture that I believe will bring us closer together. Much like the family dinner, the family Christmas lunch is a vital tradition to keep alive, and it’s even easier to do when you have a nice outdoor lounge like the Lorenzo 4 piece outdoor lounge.
Yes, my kids probably won’t be thrilled that instead of an iPhone they will be getting an outdoor lounge, but that’s precisely the point.
Trying times.
It’s no secret that cost of living has skyrocketed while wages have stagnated. Money is tight, but I don’t want to become a grinch and shun Christmas. By giving us all a gift, I feel like I am getting closer to the central idea of giving. A communal piece of furniture like the Lorenzo 4 piece outdoor lounge Domayne not only adds function to your home, it teaches everyone the value of sharing.
I have a dreadful suspicion that 90 percent of Christmas gifts end up in a landfill a few months later. By paring back my gift-giving, I am making a stand for the environment and our future. By gifting something substantial I am reducing waste and reducing my footprint.
Responsibility.
The cyclic nature of Christmas time builds up expectations in our minds about what we deserve. For children, this time of year is first and foremost about receiving presents. For adults it has become a stressful balancing act of buying presents and paying tribute to your friends, family, and associates.
This expected giving is a huge problem for me; I don’t believe that a child should expect a mountain of presents on a set day every year. I don’t expect anyone to bend over backward to buy me something just because it is Christmas. By changing my habits now I hope to give my children a sense of responsibility.
Buying a communal gift such as an outdoor lounge setting might seem to go against everything you have ever known about Christmas. Instead of trying to make everyone’s Christmas individual with individual gifts, this year, I will be making a statement. Christmas is about love and connection; it’s about coming together and sharing your time with your family, not about bankrupting yourself with excessive gifts. This Christmas, go big in a different way.
