Holidays offer opportunity to teach lasting lesson to youth

November 25th 5:06 pm | Carey Restino    

As this edition of the Arctic Sounder comes out, many of you will be comfortably settled with friends and family enjoying a feast fit for a king. Thanksgiving kicks off more than a month of indulgence, indulgence that is not only dangerous to one's waistline but also to the pocketbook.

On average, each American intends on spending more than $600 on gifts, decorations and food for friends and family this holiday season. In Alaska, where everything costs more, one can only assume that this figure is significantly higher. Factor in holiday travel, which is never cheap, and things get out of control really fast.

Here's another statistic to chew on. The average person in the United States plans to spend 19 hours shopping for gifts, three hours waiting in checkout lines and three hours wrapping gifts. Do you know how many hours they will spend celebrating with family and friends? That's right — 14 hours. Does anything seem backward here?

Even here, where we generally value community more than consumerism, the frenzy to buy, buy, buy is everywhere. It swarmed the shelves of every retailer the second Halloween goodies were pulled off the shelves. Oodles of alluring plastic options were placed under our noses, hoping to get us to part with lots of hard-earned cash. Emails touting the biggest sales ever seemed to sneak through even the best security. It is, simply put, time to buy ourselves silly.

It's easy to get caught up in it all and spend too much. We want our family members to be happy, to feel indulged, to experience the wonder of the holidays. But believe it or not, those things are just as easy to obtain without spending more than you have.

Those of us who come from modest (at best) upbringings can probably vouch for this truth — it is family tradition and time together that is the best gift.

For example, instead of spending time in stores or glued to the Internet for the best bargain, why not consider making a gift for people as a family. Last year, my kids and I forced flower bulbs for everyone. The kids painted the pots, filled them with dirt, and coaxed the tiny green shoots out of hibernation. Their pride was obvious when we brought them around to friends and family later that month. Would they have felt that way about something store-bought? I think not. Would they have gotten a taste of the wonderful feeling of giving? I don't think so.

Taking that one step further, probably the best thing you could teach the young people in your life is the richness that can be found in helping those who have less than you. Most of us are ridiculously lucky by global standards. Few will go hungry or unclothed. But for many in Alaska, the holidays can be a dark, lean time of year. And for those without family around, it can be lonely, too. Even the youngest child can understand the concept of giving to others - filling a basket of food for those less fortunate, or inviting someone without family nearby to join you for your celebration. The lessons from such acts of selflessness, of sharing, can last a lifetime, and do much to dilute the consumer-driven focus of the holidays.

So this year, as we enter the holiday daze, you might consider stopping and planning with your family what you'd like to do differently this year. Figure out a way to give to those in need, and make your holiday unique and meaningful. It just might bring you closer together and teach wonderful lessons, not to mention save you a bundle. That's something to be thankful for, for sure!

 

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