Christmas Gifts and Naked Barbies

It’s easy to get caught up in consumerism at this time of year, and to put material possessions–both the giving and gaining of them–above everything else.

As a family, we made the decision that this would be a light Christmas. In part, it’s for the cost savings, but in part it’s a philosophical decision.

Yet even though we’ve made that decision, I find myself second guessing myself, thinking thoughts like: I know my husband said he didn’t need much, but what if I don’t get him much and he’s disappointed? Am I a bad parent if I’m only getting my child two or three small presents? But that’s really cute/awesome/perfect/doesn’t cost much…should I just go ahead and buy it?

We went to the thrift store a few days ago, and as I was walked down the aisles I saw this hilarious and terrible spectacle:

Yes, that is at least 50 naked, semi-broken Barbie dolls.

My first thought was to laugh. And then as I kept looking at those naked Barbies, I realized it was a good reminder.

That is where all the presents I’m giving this year are going to end up. You give a present. It’s either used or not used, loved or not loved. But ultimately, it’ll end up at a thrift store, in a trash can, or shoved in the back of a closet.

There’s a lot of pressure that says you need to BUY, BUY, BUY! There’s pressure that says your house has to look a certain way, you have to make certain food, you have to do a certain number of activities. And all of it just adds stress.

And so this Christmas season, here’s a few things I’m going to do:

1. Try not to compare myself to others. I always compare my negatives with other people’s positives, and when I compare myself to others, I always seem to come up short.
2. Say many positive things to the people I love every single day. I find myself being too critical of the people around me, and it damages relationships and makes me feel bad as well. But when I’m positive, everyone is happier.
3. Enjoy the little moments. It’s too easy to miss the beautiful things around me, or to take the time and energy to be grateful. But when I let myself enjoy the little things, I realize that they might actually be the most important things.
   

   My daughter, excited about finding blankets in a museum.

4. Think about the Savior. For me, that’s the real meaning of the season. And I’ll probably watch some videos to help get me in the mood. This one, “A Gift to the World,” is one of my favorites: