“The folly of endless consumerism sends us on a wild goose-chase for happiness through materialism.” ~Bryant H. McGill

We are entering the holiday season with its accompanying Christmas carols and Hanukkah candles, its conviviality and consumerism.

I can’t help but think about the inherent paradox to this time of year: we long to reconnect with loved ones, but at the same time we fret about holiday celebrations.

We often over spend and under prepare for the emotional demands of the season, and succumb  to the serenade of the cyber sirens, lured to the shores of shopping and shipping, buying gifts we think will declare our love.

Black Friday. Cyber Monday.

Damn Amazon makes it all too easy to click, buy, discard, replace, and send.

Materialism made manifest.

Maybe this year instead of spending more money, you might invest more time—more time reflecting about the person for whom you’re shopping, more time choosing something special, not necessarily expensive, and more time releasing expectations.

Maybe this year you might make more memories instead.

The kind that can’t be bought.

The kind that last a lifetime.

“The sharpest memory of our old-fashioned Christmas eve is my mother’s hand making sure I was settled in bed.” ~Paul Engle