We all do too much during Christmas days. The way to shake down all that suff you use and have for Christmas is to take it all apart off-season and just look at it for awhile until you stop feeling frantic. Remember, this is off-season, so everything you see is neutral. I managed to prune our decorations and doo-dads down to two medium-sized boxes from fourteen boxes. What a relief. Now I am working on down-sizing our Christmas card list. This is much more difficult (for me) and requires time and reflection. As you get older, it is only natural to do less, but by thinking the whole thing through off-season, you get to choose what you will keep and do, and what you will shed and give (donate) as part of your Christmas celebration, 2010.

I gave our unused Christmas things to local low income families with children. That will bring them all to life again instead of being storage items in yet another box marked “Christmas Decorations.” The bottom line during Christmas is to connect with others and share your love and joy with them. Buying stuff to proove you love someone is just a mistake that we all need to correct. Christmas is not about buying stuff, it is about our gratitude for all the blessings we have in our lives. Submitted by Chris Grasse in South Portland, Maine, U.S.A. on 16 June 2010. Let me be the first to wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, 2010! – Chris.