Bah Humbug! Or Is It Something Else?

I'm trying to figure out why this is how I feel this Christmas. I'm usually all festive, putting up decorations, buying presents and I have to admit that I LOVE wrapping them and putting fun little bows on top to make them pretty. But this year . . . not so much.



And it's not just me. My husband and son feels the same way.



We didn't even put up our tree until last Monday and we didn't decorate it. No star or angel at the top. No tinsel. No garland. Just little white lights that twinkle in the night. I have to admit that I like the looks of it. Simple. Glowing. Peaceful. That is when it's on at night. During the day, when the lights are off, it's just a blog of green plastic pine needles standing in the corner. What's festive about that?



I did put up the nativity scene. Maybe that's what I'm thinking this year, that I want to be more spiritual, think about the true meaning of Christmas. I have been thinking a lot lately about how lucky I am for the atonement and how grateful I am that the Savior died for me. Things have been tough this year. Our business isn't doing well with the economy like it is. We've gone out less (okay, not at all). Have squandered nothing. Pinched pennies until they resemble those you put through machines that get all squashed. But in all of that, we still find ourselves lucky to have each other, blessed to be a forever family and have a home to call our own. Some people don't even have that.



So, maybe it isn't so much a "Bah Humbug" Christmas as much as it is a time for us to find peace and be thankful for our simple life. To be grateful for the little things and not worry so much about how many presents are under the tree or how full we can pack the kidlet's stocking.



What do you think? Is it okay to minimize the hoopla and festivities for the holidays? Can we still have a good Christmas without all the traditional fluff and commercialized expectations?