- December 27, 2024
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My wife, Hailey, was doing some online Christmas shopping the other day, when she saw an ad for a robotic vacuum: “A Roomba for $300?!” she exclaimed.
The five children and I waited with bated breath in the family room. Did she think this was a good deal? A bad deal? The queen was about to speak.
But instead of revealing her opinion on the price, Hailey said, “I don’t need it. I have five Roombas.”
Ellie, 15, waited a moment before realizing what her mother meant. Finally Ellie said, indignantly, “Hey! Your children are not Roombas!”
Ahh, love is in the air. It’s Christmas time!
Thanks to ubiquitous deals and retail anxiety, Christmas shopping begins earlier and earlier every year, with one day’s break, known as Thanksgiving Day, when we gather around the table and wait for Black Friday.
What can be done?
The worldwide frantic shopping will continue no matter what I say here, so I won’t bother to try convincing anyone to adopt an ascetic lifestyle. Instead, I will paint a picture of giving thanks while shopping.
Imagine you are walking into a store, feeling stressed out. Consider pausing and feeling thankful for one or more of the following, as they may apply to you:
You have arrived safely at the store.
You have eyes to see.
You have someone to shop for.
The store is climate controlled.
Truck drivers hauled the toys and goodies from far flung lands so that you could have access to them.
Men and women in our community are willing to work to serve you by stocking shelves, keeping the store clean, and ringing up your items accurately at the checkout.
Starting from a place of gratitude makes peace possible, even during holiday stress.
I’m grateful for the quiet moments in between shopping trips. For a library that sells $2 books. For a chilly Sunday morning. For a gravel path to the ditch down the road, where my 6-year-old son, Luke discovers the joy of throwing not just one small stone but a whole handful of stones, laughing in wonder as they all land at once, a constellation of splashes on the surface.
