OOPS…I did it again.

Every year I say and I quote, “I am not going to spend this much money on Christmas presents next year, we have totally missed the whole reason for the season”.

But every year, to quote the song, “I played with your heart, got lost in the game”.  When you have five children, their spouses, 12 grands, parents, brothers, sister, sister-in-law, nieces, nephews, friends and this list goes on, it’s so easy to get lost in the game and what’s a girl to do?

Then there is the whole “most wonderful time of year” thing that plays with my heart. Am I the only one that gets caught-up in the spirit of giving?  I mean, I can’t forget about my hairdresser, and then there is the less fortunate that I know baby Jesus is pleased with me doing a little something for them.

The truth is “'I’m not that innocent” (yes that is another quote from the song). I know full and well that I don’t have that kind of money. I also know that spending more money than I should is definitely not going to determine how those that I love judge me. Furthermore, it doesn’t add one ounce of reasoning for the season.  Finally, I know when I intercept the credit card bill, that I am not doing it because of my concern for my husband’s health. Although I realize it would give him a heart attack, and I would be left a widow.

I do it because it makes me feel good in the moment and I am a fool in so many ways (I can’t get the song out of my head ok). But just like the Christmas cookies that I had one too many of, the after affects have consequences. So, I am putting all my family and friends that read this on notice…Oh Baby Baby, I’m taking control.    

The Measure of Wealth

Recently while sightseeing in the affluent green hills of Brentwood, Tennessee, I was a little surprised when the tour guide spoke about the amount of involvement the rich and famous had in the local community. While many of them had high fences to maintain privacy, these celebrities’ children attended the local public schools and could frequently be seen at school plays, and even at the local Publix’s shopping for groceries.  While I totally “get-it” that these are simply real people, I found it quite fascinating. I also began imagining what the interaction between these family members over Christmas dinner or simply life after school would look and sound like behind the walls.

As soon as we returned home, we drove to be with family members that had recently lost their patriarch.  This brother, father, husband and grandfather was a gentle giant and was truly loved by so many. I listened as my husband, this sweet man’s children and grandchildren spoke of their times together. The stories of the private moments they shared laughing and enjoying each other seemed to paint a picture of his life I didn’t know existed. It also seemed to be some of the best times for this sweet family.  Now while this home was far from the green hills of the affluent neighborhood in Tennessee, for some reason the stories my husband’s family told resembled some of the same pictures I had imagined for the life of the Rich and Famous.

How could this be? Could it truly be that the measure of one’s wealth was not summed up by an outward appearance or by zip code?  Was one life style better than the other? I left resolved that neither was right or wrong and at the end of the day, behind all walls: high and low, lies our greatest assets.  Merry Christmas