Finding My Way Through The Holidaze

It has been a challenge for me the last few years to figure out how to celebrate the Christmas holiday. Having grown up in a Catholic household and no longer identifying with my religious upbringing, Christian holidays leave me feeling a little uncomfortable. Regardless, I still have a desire to celebrate in some way, either out of nostalgia or strong suggestions from society. The other problem with our modern Christmas, as we all know, is that it focuses on consumerism more than anything else. Even my Muslim friends feel obligated to buy their family presents during this time of year.

The challenge is to find my way of celebrating this holiday without feeling awkward as a result of practicing Christian activities or being sucked into the pointless consumption side.

One solution I have tried is to be out of town. A couple of years ago I spent the holiday camping in Costa Rica. That was amazing, but there was a slight feeling of guilt since I wasn't with my family. So avoidance by skipping town doesn't feel like the right answer. Besides, even though it's a good way to maximize vacation hours, the craziness in airports around the holidays can leave you with a big headache, or in our case, stranded in L.A. for 24 hours.

After the last few years of test trials, I think I've found the solution. To satisfy my feelings of nostalgia, I have a few decorations that I put out. Actually, they stay out year around because I like the memories attached to them - they just take a more prominent position around Christmas time. One is a moose in a Christmas sweater that reminds me of my Grandpa since he always told stories about moose. The other is a set of clay figures of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph that I crafted in the kindergarten. I accidentally gave Joseph indented butt checks and baby Jesus was chewed up by my dog years ago, but I still love those guys. And to satisfy my olfactory desires, I usually get some boughs from a Christmas tree to bring the smell of the season into my home. This year my sister gave me a huge bag full of clippings from her tree that I ended up making a wreath out of.

As far as avoidance of overconsumption, my family has agreed to do secret Santa this year, meaning we each are only expected to buy a present for one person in the family. That also means I don't have to worry about piles of unnecessary things that I was given out of obligation. Unfortunately, my Mom somehow missed the memo and still is getting a few things for each of us kids. That's okay - I can use some new socks.

I feel like I can say that my holiday problems are solved. I can carry on with life during this otherwise frantic time of year without getting caught up in the whirl of it all or feeling left out.