Countdown to Christmas with Sharon Donovan

Too Tired for Christmas
“So are you all done with your Christmas shopping?” a friend asked, quickly adding, “Mine are all wrapped and tonight I’m baking my cookies.”
“I haven’t even started yet,” I replied, wondering why people were always in such a hurry to rush the season. But even before the words were out of my mouth, a surge of panic shot through me as that little voice in my head warned me that if I didn’t get out there, all the “Must have” gifts would be gone. With a sinking heart, I recalled last year when all those gifts that were supposedly so easy to find sent me on a wild goose chase all over Pittsburgh. I spent hours surfing the net only to find that every gift on my quest was either sold out or out of stock. No way was I going through that again. What choice did I have? It was time to hit the sales.
Has the world gone mad or are we robots programmed to do battle until every hard to find gift is found? Outrageous price tags come down for one day to their original value only to cause complete mayhem and utter chaos. Nonetheless, countless shoppers are willing to stand in line for hours in the bitter cold to get the hottest computer games and the latest trend to hit the market. No kids -- no problem. Buy it on sale and sell it for three times its worth on eBay. The clock is ticking. The race is on. It’s time to get swept up by the commercial vacuum of Christmas.
For a solid two hours, adrenaline pushed me from store to store through the mall. My mind buzzed with turmoil. Will Aunt Joanie be terribly disappointed with the dead ringer knock off bag I fought two other women for? Where can I find those gourmet coffee beans everyone wants and no one has? Not one store I’ve been to has one DVD on my list. Did I get enough batteries? And now that every single person on my scratch off list sent me a card, I have to reciprocate. Another stop at the card store. “Bah! Humbug!”
Just as I sat down to compose myself, the train whistle blew, sending a cargo of giggling children racing around the Santa village. Their joyous laughter was contagious. Before I knew it, I was filled with nostalgic memories of my own childhood when the spirit of Christmas was brought in with the putting up of the Lionel train set.
Around the first week of December, my entire family trooped down to the basement where we proceeded to make a village into a Christmas spectacular. We pulled out box after box, remembering exactly what was stored in each one. After that, we got busy, and like little elves helping Santa, we all had a job to do.
The first thing my dad and brother did was set up the platform on two wooden horses while my mom and sister and I unpacked the Lionel train set and accessories from yellowed newspapers. We squealed with delight when we came across all time favorites.
“Here’s the duck pond with the wooden bridge,” I yelled over the pounding. “Remember last year when we froze water and made it into an ice skating rink?”
“I found my favorite house!” my sister held up the snow-covered cottage with the bristly pine tree nestled against it. “I can’t wait to see it light up!”
A quick glance showed the platform was up and the track was being nailed down. As we waited impatiently for it to be secured, our dog Spark yipped around in playful circles, dragging around whatever he could sink his teeth into. As snowflakes fell and the village went up, the aroma of sugar cookies wafted through the house. With Christmas carols playing in the background, it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Everyone was so busy no one noticed when our mom disappeared, but everyone noticed when she came back with a plate of freshly baked cookies and mugs of hot cocoa. “Time for a snack.”
As the hours unfolded, our little village was just about complete, and the anticipation for “Light up” night mounted.
“Put this capsule in the engine,” my dad told my brother. “Once the train heats up, steam will come out.”
“I’ll be the conductor,” my brother took his place at the control station as we all gathered around for the big moment.
Turning out the lights, we stared in awe at the village we created. Charming cottages glowed in the dark as the train rolled down the track and through the two tunnels. As it made its way around the town, a puff of cherry wood scented smoke billowed out of the engine. Lugging its cargo to the other end of the village, the freight train whistled as it took a sharp bend, “Woo—woo,” proving it was the little engine that could.
Snapping out of my revelry, realization dawned. What happened to the spirit of Christmas?
Suddenly, fighting the maddening crowds at the mall took a back seat. With all the rushing around, standing in line and worrying about a million things, the spirit of Christmas had been sucked up by the savage hunger of commercialism. Like Scrooge waking up from a dream, I was struck with an epiphany as I realized too much emphasis is placed on the commercial value of Christmas. Reflecting on simpler times, better times, I left the mall with a much lighter heart. Christmas isn’t about how many gifts we give or receive – it’s about the magic of the season. And if you need a reminder the next time you’re at the mall fighting the crowd, take time to reminisce. Take a break from the madness. Grab a hot drink, take a seat and remember when the joy of Christmas was contagious.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!