The older I get, the less I want for the holiday season. This is mainly because what I want, while materialistic in and of itself, is also not very materialistic. I want to have children. I want my holiday memories to become of those of snuggling with my children, baking holiday goodies with them, and reading books to them before they go to bed at night. I want to build meaningful memories, the things that, when I look back on my life, I know I never got the chance to experience.
And, of course, watching movies with my children while drinking hot chocolate is definitely on the list.
I bring up movies because of the recent holiday season and because I’ve been thinking of the live-action The Grinch movie, starring Jim Carrey.
As of right now, I work as a server for one of the local IHOPs. Part of the job agreement is we’re not allowed to ask for particular days off. That’s okay, I didn’t want to be home all that much on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day anyway. (My reasons for this are my own.) So Christmas Eve, my stepdad picks me up from work (not thrilled by this but my sister’s schedule changed so I was the first one), and we have to stop at Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. I go through the self check-outs, he through a cashier, and I actually get my purchases quicker. While I’m waiting for him to get through the line, I see this lady leave one like two away to my right, and she looks PISSED. She looks like she wants to ram her shopping cart into someone and actually almost comes close as she’s leaving. She apologizes to the people she’s almost rammed her cart into and carries on.
At work, I’ve been subjected to Christmas music, a good portion of it proclaiming what a wonderful time of the year December is, how generous people are, and so on, and I’ve not seen it. There are homeless people, children going hungry, but the generous nature of Christ has not infected the souls of the people around me. There’s more focus on shopping, on spending money to give, and I long for simpler things.
And I’ve been thinking about the Grinch. I remember when people told me they liked the half-hour animated special better because it was accurate to the book.
I absolutely love The Grinch with Jim Carrey. I love this movie because it absolutely reflects our current society of avarice and greed. I love how the Grinch got it long before anyone else did. I love how Cindy Lou Who got it before everyone else did, that the conflict wasn’t resolved right away by the Whos in Whoville singing their Christmas song around their Christmas tree.
Because it isn’t about the gifts. Oh, sure giving and receiving them is nice. I won’t deny that in the least. But money spent means nothing if there is no heart, no thought, no stipulation behind the gift itself. I’d rather receive a handmade gift over something purchased in the store. I’d rather someone put thought into my gifts than doing it because it’s required of them, because it’s what we’re supposed to do at this time of year and without hearing about how much someone has spent on Christmas shopping. And, yes, I’ve heard all of thoses things. I’ve heard them throughout my life. I’ve lived through a lot of emotional ups and downs, most of them from my dad, when I was a child.
Next Christmas, I plan on having a different job. Next Christmas, I plan on wearing fuzzy socks and fuzzy pajamas in my new home, and the only drama that will punctuate my day will be what I write, what I watch for movies and read for books, and what I play for my old video games.
And I will watch The Grinch with its expanded scenes and its reminder that what we truly need is not something that can be bought from a store. It comes from within us.
Enchanted Realms 