Christmas customs change from generation to generation. I’ve seen quite a change in customs from the 1950s when I grew up to today. So I asked my Dad a couple of years ago how they celebrated Christmas when he was a child (latter 1920s, prior to the Great Depression). The economy was booming and my grandfather was proprietor of Diehl’s Jewelry Store in Butler, so they were better off than many in a small town.

He told me they set up a small evergreen tree on a table in the living room, and decorated it with tinsel. On Christmas morning he found fruit and nuts in his stocking near the tree and one gift, usually an item of clothing.

Perhaps a little simplicity around our Christmas celebrations today wouldn’t be so bad. Perhaps the generation who had won World War II and felt invincible spoiled its children with an ever increasing array of gifts that the next generation can never keep up with. Perhaps the gifts that used to come with joy from love, now come with a load of debt from a sense of duty.

Does that mound of guilt-reducing gifts really enhance Christmas joy? Do our children really appreciate us more for it? I think I’ll try to simplify Christmas this year.

Tags: Christmas, gifts, simplify