Comments on: Guilt-Free Holidays http://www.empoweredsoul.com/2007/11/06/guilt-free-holidays/ Financial Abundance for Spiritual Seekers Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:45:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Andrea http://www.empoweredsoul.com/2007/11/06/guilt-free-holidays/comment-page-1/#comment-941 Andrea Sat, 10 Nov 2007 01:42:59 +0000 http://www.empoweredsoul.com/blog/?p=148#comment-941 Hi Tuan, I like the idea of year-long Christmas ... why save all the good stuff for just one time of year, right? I also admire your "no presents" rule. Thanks as always for contributing your thoughts! Blessings, Andrea Hi Tuan,

I like the idea of year-long Christmas … why save all the good stuff for just one time of year, right? I also admire your “no presents” rule.

Thanks as always for contributing your thoughts!
Blessings,
Andrea

]]> By: Tuan http://www.empoweredsoul.com/2007/11/06/guilt-free-holidays/comment-page-1/#comment-938 Tuan Wed, 07 Nov 2007 19:36:18 +0000 http://www.empoweredsoul.com/blog/?p=148#comment-938 “Christmas is the season of giving” such a propaganda, the retail industry created this. Imagine there isn’t any store decorations what would we feel when Christmas comes. I guess we wouldn’t feel motivated to buy any gifts at all. Stores decorations trigger that part in our collective consciousness that tells us to buy and buy, and if we don’t buy we feel guilty, the same with traveling or visiting. The slogan “The season of giving” creates a meaning for Christmas, it’s mean consumption. I remember when Saigon felt under the hand of Communism, the first year there isn’t any Christmas Decoration at all, decoration was forbidden. Christmas seemed disappear; you can only feel Christmas when you went by the Catholic Church that performing midnight mass. The rest of the city sounded death quiet. Year after that, the government realized how important for the economy to have Christmas so they allowed decorations. Christmas resumed that year. So how about let’s give and celebrate all year long without waiting for Christmas or special occasions. When we give we receive that is the law of the universe. Why not doing that all year, we give the Universe enough time to fulfill what we want and we will be happy all year. There will be no expectation and no guilt, Christmas will be much less stressful since we fulfill our obligation throughout the year. Just a thought, since I declared to my family that I will not buy or receive any gifts for Christmas a long time ago. “Christmas is the season of giving” such a propaganda, the retail industry created this. Imagine there isn’t any store decorations what would we feel when Christmas comes. I guess we wouldn’t feel motivated to buy any gifts at all.

Stores decorations trigger that part in our collective consciousness that tells us to buy and buy, and if we don’t buy we feel guilty, the same with traveling or visiting. The slogan “The season of giving” creates a meaning for Christmas, it’s mean consumption. I remember when Saigon felt under the hand of Communism, the first year there isn’t any Christmas Decoration at all, decoration was forbidden. Christmas seemed disappear; you can only feel Christmas when you went by the Catholic Church that performing midnight mass. The rest of the city sounded death quiet. Year after that, the government realized how important for the economy to have Christmas so they allowed decorations. Christmas resumed that year.

So how about let’s give and celebrate all year long without waiting for Christmas or special occasions. When we give we receive that is the law of the universe. Why not doing that all year, we give the Universe enough time to fulfill what we want and we will be happy all year. There will be no expectation and no guilt, Christmas will be much less stressful since we fulfill our obligation throughout the year. Just a thought, since I declared to my family that I will not buy or receive any gifts for Christmas a long time ago.

]]> By: Andrea http://www.empoweredsoul.com/2007/11/06/guilt-free-holidays/comment-page-1/#comment-937 Andrea Tue, 06 Nov 2007 21:29:19 +0000 http://www.empoweredsoul.com/blog/?p=148#comment-937 Robyn, that's awesome! Thank you so much for sharing your story here. It certainly inspires me, and I'm sure it will inspire others to claim our holidays for ourselves, also. Blessings, Andrea Robyn, that’s awesome! Thank you so much for sharing your story here. It certainly inspires me, and I’m sure it will inspire others to claim our holidays for ourselves, also.

Blessings,
Andrea

]]> By: robyn http://www.empoweredsoul.com/2007/11/06/guilt-free-holidays/comment-page-1/#comment-936 robyn Tue, 06 Nov 2007 21:22:02 +0000 http://www.empoweredsoul.com/blog/?p=148#comment-936 Hello Andrea For the past two years my husband daughters and I have made Christmas our own by declaring it a family day and spending it how we see fit which normally involves a picnic lunch and a body of water , either the beach or the river. As a family we decide on one item that we could all benefit from and that is our one and only Christmas present to ourselves. We dont buy presents for the extended family nor do we expect anything from them. This way we are celebrating what is most important to us , each other and our family unit and not a Christmas tree in sight and absolutely no guilt involved! Hello Andrea
For the past two years my husband daughters and I have made Christmas our own by declaring it a family day and spending it how we see fit which normally involves a picnic lunch and a body of water , either the beach or the river.
As a family we decide on one item that we could all benefit from and that is our one and only Christmas present to ourselves.
We dont buy presents for the extended family nor do we expect anything from them.
This way we are celebrating what is most important to us , each other and our family unit and not a Christmas tree in sight and absolutely no guilt involved!

]]> By: Andrea http://www.empoweredsoul.com/2007/11/06/guilt-free-holidays/comment-page-1/#comment-932 Andrea Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:50:04 +0000 http://www.empoweredsoul.com/blog/?p=148#comment-932 Thank you, Mags. I know, it's amazing how this is the guilty time of year! The crazy thing is that we do it to ourselves ... Blessings, Andrea Thank you, Mags. I know, it’s amazing how this is the guilty time of year! The crazy thing is that we do it to ourselves …

Blessings,
Andrea

]]> By: Mags http://www.empoweredsoul.com/2007/11/06/guilt-free-holidays/comment-page-1/#comment-929 Mags Tue, 06 Nov 2007 15:29:12 +0000 http://www.empoweredsoul.com/blog/?p=148#comment-929 Wow, Andrea - thank you! This has been on my mind lately, and I've certainly been letting those guilty feelings get to me. Your article is a timely blessing. Wow, Andrea – thank you! This has been on my mind lately, and I’ve certainly been letting those guilty feelings get to me. Your article is a timely blessing.

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