Speaking of cheap crap, what has happened to toys manufactured today (or most products for that matter)?  It seems everything is being manufactured as disposable.  It’s a cycle of buy now and then either break or become outdated by rapidly changing fashion, thereby mandating an upgrade purchase.  Manufacturers seem to be producing more and more junk that is specificlly designed to not last so that it must be purchased again.  I remember growing up with Tonka trucks that were made out of metal.  Those things were virtually indestructible.  These days they are built from flimsy cheap plastic.  My kids (who I admit are hard on toys) destroyed that cheap plastic in a matter of months.  I suspect that metal would have survived their onslaught.  It seems that there has been a conscious decision to market and produce items with a shortened lifespan (cheap quality) so that consumers must purchase more and more. 

I remember last Christmas we bought our boys more toys than we really wanted to but we were blinded by the thought of their happiness.  We fell into the trap of mistakenly believing that happiness can be bought.  What we ended up with were several cheap plastic toys that quickly broke and ended up in pieces at the bottom of the toy box after a month.  This year we plan to spend less and give more.  We will spend less money and the money we do spend will be on quality items.  How many times have we purchased items on sale, blinded by the price and not looking at the build quality.  It really is true that you get what you pay for.  I have no problems paying more for a quality item that I know will last. 

We will also give more this year.  Giving to charities as well as giving our time and energy for local causes.  Instead of focusing on gifts as we have done in years past we will instead focus on building memories with our kids.  We’ll go out to a tree farm and spend the day selecting a tree and riding on tractors, drinking hot chocolate.  We’ll go up into the mountains and tube down some slopes, have a family snowball fight and build a snow castle.  We’ll attend Christmas concerts and shows, visit Santa at the mall, cruise the city looking at all the lights and decorations.  These are the gifts that are invaluable and will be remembered much longer than the plastic junk in boxes that we wrap up and throw under the tree.

Presents are great.  Everyone loves them but let’s be smart about it.  Let’s add quality and durability to the equation and use our purchasing power to demand items that won’t break the week after Christmas.  Let’s choose to not overspend and put our-self into debt that requires the first several months of the New Year to pay off.  It’s interesting to note that the concept of the “layaway” has come back.  I think the economic crisis made people realize that the debt they are carrying is quite a burden.  More and more people are unwilling, or unable to proliferate the cycle of buy now pay later and are turning to layaway.  In case you are unfamiliar with how layaway works, you basically pick an item you want, pay an small deposit, make payments over time and pick up your item when completely paid for.  Typically layaway plans do not carry interest charges, unlike credit cards.  Not overspending and staying out of debt is the best thing any of us can do this holiday season.

So I think I’ve rambled on enough here.  The point I am trying to make is that there is more to Christmas and the holidays than gifts, especially gifts out of a perceived obligation.  This season we intend to spend less and give more, to be smart in regards to our purchases and only buy quality items that are built to last.  We intend to spend more time with family and create memories that last a lifetime, rather than purchasing cheap junk that lasts a week.  Tis’ the season for building lasting memories with family and friends.

I never really look forward to stringing up the ‘ol Christmas lights. I hate dealing with the huge tangled ball of lights. Why is it that no matter how carefully you put them away the year before, they somehow end up a tangled mess that takes an hour to straighten out. I spend more time unsnarling light strands then I do actually hanging them. Inevitably I end up procrastinating which results in a choice of putting them up in a pouring rain or dealing with the sad faces of my kids and the angry scowl from the wife. I didn’t want to be known as the “Grinch” so since today was a beautiful sunny day without a cloud in the sky I figured I would tackle the lights. Ok, truth is I wasn’t going to do it today until I saw both neighbors putting their lights up. I didn’t want to be the odd-neighbor-out so I rummaged through the garage until I uncovered our giant ball of glass lights. It felt like a WWF Smackdown event as I untangled the lights, breaking three bulbs in the process. Normally breaking a few bulbs wouldn’t be an issue but apparently I used all the spares last year. At any rate I got the lights up with little issue and didn’t even fall off the roof. This picture is the end result. It’s not a big theatric production like you see on YouTube these days but it fits our taste just fine.