#25

Christmas Consume Craziness has begun. Decorations are in the shops. People are sending out invites for parties and planning their November and Decembers, making sure every weekend is maximised, fitting in all necessary family friends & acquaintenances. I am guilty a little myself because I booked my flight home last week so I can have a Sydney family Christmas - but that shouldn't really count because c'mon I haven't been home for 15 months now and it really is easier to get a cheaper ticket if you buy earlier.

I have to admit that I think the Germans do the whole wintery Christmas thing a lot less cheesy than we do, and somehow the darkness and candles and introspection have actually more to do with the real reasons for Christmas and the Winter Solstice etc but even these guys get carried away with all THE STUFF that comes with this period.

The disgustingly huge variety of biscuits, chocolates and small sweet things these guys are meant to eat from now until after New Years is mind-boggling. And then they have the whole Advents Month and Niklaus....it just doesn't stop. It's gross and kind of sickening. There is just so much stuff produced just for Christmas.

Yesterday I found something interesting. Buy Nothing Day & Buy Nothing Christmas.  International Buy Nothing Day is November 27th, and well I know you know when it's Christmas. I will do it next month and I am going to discuss things about Christmas with my family . I've already broken it slightly by having a couple of teeny things collected during the year, and that might just be it.

I really love to spoil my nieces and this is the only hard part about it, but maybe there is a bigger more significant gift to give by not buying into the whole commercial side of things and instead celebrating and giving each other the gift of presence and authentic relationship and the experience of a shared spiritual ritual. Maybe our family can start a new family tradition - taking different aspects from Celtic, Christian, Wiccan, Buddhist, Advaita, Indigenous etc etc rituals and making it something beautiful and meaningful and personal - I am sure my nieces with their beautiful imagination and fresh way of thinking will also add something cool to the mix.

Looking forward to how it all pans out.......