holy days

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Well, I managed to dodge Black Friday once again this year. It's really not difficult, I just go to the fridge for a left-over turkey sandwich, and the next thing I know the chaotic race to be the fist to buy the most is over. This year, I was fortunate enough to spend time I might have been shopping playing with Eli on a little Holy Tridiuum ("three days") that gets much more attention than even THE Holy Tridiuum of Good Friday to Easter Morning.
make-shift swing we strung up at his grandmother's house with his great-grandmother (97) watching. I actually don't think I know anyone who participates in the Black Friday rush, but maybe I do. The most interesting thing about Black Friday, to me, is that it is becoming a day of cultural holy obligation. Americans are developing a whole holy calendar around shopping for Christmas. From Black Friday to Cyber Monday, there is what any Ancient would recognize as a
I'm not advocating for more cultural attention to our Easter Tridiuum. I am inviting you and your family to pay attention to the cultural current and make a decision about whether you participate or not, because we have a choice. How ever your family celebrates Christmas this year, let it be about your relationships, not about stuff. We and our children are attracted to the advertising we are exposed to, and marketers are paid to make us thing their product will fulfill the desire for meaning we may be seeking. However, what will make the biggest, and healthiest difference for our children (for the rest of their lives) is that we spend time with them, and we share our own stories of Christmases past. My family is still doing a gift exchange, but that's only a small piece of the Christmas experience. We will also cook out on the beach, participate in special Children-Focused service and pageant on Christmas Eve (4:00 p.m.), and spend time together during the 12 days of Christmas.
As we recover from too-much turkey and count the days to Christmas, let's remember that how we spend it is up to us. Feel free to step away from the frenzy, and give the greatest gift of our time and our love.

Originally Published in the Trinity by the Sea Day School Newsletter

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