Get ready for the holidays

I'm done with election coverage. Here's today's thoughts on what's ahead.

Real Holiday Cheer
Its not too early

With the election almost over, many are starting to think about the upcoming holidays. Some big box stores are already selling Christmas decorations and I expect carols to replace grocery store background music any day. I can remember the good ol’ days when these things did not happen until well after Thanksgiving.

Our holiday seasons have become little more than accelerated opportunities for retailers to sell us more stuff. We already have way too much stuff and hardly need more to prove that friends and family care about us.  Yes, I understand that many retailers make their entire annual profit during the holidays, but that does not justify our societal conspicuous consumption.

Most year-end holiday celebrations pay lip service to noble religious values and practices. Thanksgiving celebrates peaceful pilgrims’ first meals with first Americans. Christmas proclaims the birth of a savior and goodwill to all of humankind. Jewish Hanukkah traditions mark the defeat of those who would prohibit the practice of their faith. Kwanza celebrates the growth and importance of community. Others similarly embrace our better selves as we wish them to be.

Unfortunately, our commercial drive has subsumed these noble ideas with commands to buy more in order to give more so we can show how much more we care. Thanksgiving has become an excuse to over-eat in preparation for daylong football binging, perhaps to mask the centuries of resource wars waged against those first hosts.

If we are to truly celebrate the end of another successful year and pay due respect to the religious beliefs we hold dear, let me suggest ways that are closer to what was intended.

Given the importance of the holidays to our children, here are ways to help kids appreciate their true value. Give them something they need like clothes, a new bike or another item that helps them keep moving. Next, give them books to read, art supplies or a musical instrument that nourishes their creative spirits. Finally, take them with you to perform some kind of community service to show them the true meaning of your beliefs.

Community service is important for us adults too. It puts your values into practice. Donate to the Full Shelf Food Pantry or the Senior Center. Serve meals to the homeless or elderly through your church or service organization. Give gifts of clothes or food or books to the Gingerbread House or Family Promise. Donate blood to the Red Cross. Donate warm coats to one of the various coat drives held by fire departments and local businesses. Take a donation to the Washington County Humane Society, Interfaith Caregivers or the others who serve people in need in our communities. It never hurts to do good work for those less fortunate.

If you still feel compelled to shop, patronize local small businesses. They need the revenue much more than those who own the big box stores. Shopping small and local keeps your money in our local economy where it does the most good. It will help keep your neighbors employed and make more money available to others locally as well. The same holds true for holiday meals. Eat at locally owned restaurants that serve locally grown and raised food. Find a local farmer and buy a CSA. Stay away from the chains and processed foods that have traveled too many miles to your table.
Pay particular attention to the folks in our community who have to work during these holidays. Send cards to local fire and law enforcement departments along with hospital emergency rooms thanking them for their dedication and willingness to be away from their families while we spend time with ours. The Red Cross sends cards and packages to those serving overseas in the military as well. Send some cards and packages for them too.

Spend time with the elderly. Seniors don’t need more stuff, but many do need services. Learn what they may need and help them find the resources to meet those needs. If you know someone older, invite them to share a meal and some of their stories. Show your kids how to respect and care for elderly family members and neighbors. You might just learn something new in the process.

We can all make the upcoming holidays better for everyone if we just take time to care.

Waring R. Fincke is a retired attorney and vice-chair of the Democratic Party of Washington County.