You are right, Mr. Grinch!

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store….Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!" - the Grinch

Mr. Clark was in the Athens unemployment office the other day. The place was full. One of the clerks said he’s worked in that office for 14 years and he’s “never seen it this bad.” Usually, he said, the Athens office sees around 1,200 people a month. “Last month,” he said, “we saw over 6,000…I don’t know what we’re going to do about finding all these people jobs.”

According to the headlines, 1 in 10 Americans is “in mortage trouble,” whatever that means.

Last week our very own Barrow Journal reported that foreclosures in Barrow County have jumped 80-percent in the last five months. There were 157 foreclosures in our county in October, and a total of nearly 1,400 so far this year.
The headlines also say the 533,000 layoffs that occurred nationwide in November were the “most in 34 years.” Not to worry, retail sales are down, too. A post Thanksgiving headline cries “Nov. retail sales worst in 30 years.”

All this said, after only brief deliberation, we agreed not to exchange Christmas gifts this year – not in the immediate Clark house or between the extended Clark family houses. The extended Sinn family is on the bus, as well. We did agree that we would all probably break the rule a bit, by sending small collective boxes of things we made ourselves, for cheap. For example, I might make some note cards with photos I’ve taken on them. Mr. Clark could throw in some of his jalapeno hot sauce. My daughter might add some silly self-imprinted things like crazy koozies or festive cocktail napkins. My daughter-in-law’s recent association with Arbonne products could certainly round out the low cost, but sincerely heartfelt holiday boxes we send to the out-of-state relatives.

Within the immediate Clark family, we’ve agreed to break the rules by exchanging coupons for various things we’ve “been gonna’” do for each other for months. Without giving away the surprises, I can say that we all have some nice ideas for things we can do for each other that involve time, rather than money. It may be shaping up to be a pretty good Christmas, after all…

When we first thought of no gifts this year, it seemed like a pretty rough prospect. I mean, Christmas – with nothing to open?

Surprisingly, it seemed fine to us all. These tough economic times are impacting even the still gainfully employed pretty hard, and, it turns out, most of us are just not that excited by the prospect of another holiday season spent roaming the aisles of Target and Macy’s hoping to find something that communicates love (or at least warmest regards…) to each and every person on our shopping list.
There wasn’t even any discussion. “That sounds good to me…Yep, count us in…We have no problem with that…” were just a few of the reactions voiced in family phone calls and e-mails. And, surprisingly, again, the prospect of a relatively non-materialist Christmas has been very freeing emotionally. I am actually feeling much more festive this year than I have in years, and a lot of it has to do with simply knowing that this holiday season is not going to be about gifts – at all.

Mr. Clark put up the Christmas tree today, and we hung our wreaths and outdoor decorations. The nutcracker collection is back up on the mantle. The angel collection looks great, as always, on the piano. A few cinnamon and pine scented candles set the tone in the air. And, Christmas music is pretty much all we’ll be listening to, from here on through the New Year. Who says you need to buy a bunch of stuff to enjoy the holidays?

One of the things I like most about life is the surprises along the way. One of the things I believe is that difficult times and problems and challenges come to us for a reason - that reason being there is a lesson to be learned. I can’t say that Mr. Clark’s six months (and still counting…) of unemployment have been anything but harrowing. I can say there have already been some valuable lessons learned. I think this Christmas of no gifts is another lesson in the making…

After all, Christmas is not about stuff. It’s about love, and miracles, and drawing closer together on a cold, clear night. Isn’t that what happened in that stable, so long ago…and, isn’t that what we seek as we deck our halls, and string our lights, and wander the aisles of our favorite department store?

The Grinch was right. Christmas doesn’t have to come from a store. And, yes, it does mean a good bit more.